Turn On the Light
by Gleefully Wicked
Summary: A golden boy superhero is never supposed to fall for the villain, but that doesn't stop Lucas. AU. Rating just to be safe for language and some mild content.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note: So, this was inspired by my love for superhero romances, a prompt about kissing in alleys, and my ability to make an alternate universe for every scenario. Shout-out to Eryn (Child of a Broken Dawn), for convincing me that writing this is a good idea.**

**Don't own the characters, or any vague references to other things. Seriously, do you think I would be writing fan fiction if I did?**

* * *

_The hair was a bad decision. I look like I came out of a Christmas cartoon. Oh, sweet Charles; the suit's riding up. Why did I agree to this? There is literally someone being chased by the police two blocks away, and I'm stuck doing this. _Though not the thoughts you'd imagine a superhero having, those were indeed flowing through the mind of one.

"And it is with great pleasure that I introduce the man who has saved our lives countless times- Lux!" The mayor was soon the last thing on the minds of every citizen of New York City, those in Rockefeller Plaza, and the rest watching at home. All there to finally see the man in person. The man who'd supposedly prevented another terrorist attack, stopped a nuclear fusion reactor from blowing the city into radioactive oblivion, and taken down the genius monkeys before they could get to the Statue of Liberty.

People often wondered how they'd survived so long without a superhero such as Lux, considering this had all happened over the course of two years. Some blamed the apocalypse for the recent disasters, as well as Lux's "freakish" abilities, but they were widely disregarded. Others blamed the economy, and some people believed them. The rest were often too enamored by Lux's very tight (if not slightly cliché) suit, to question anything.

Nobody was aware of the fact that their hero was a shy poet who was bad with crowds, and happened to have superpowers. To this day, he had no idea how he got the latter. He'd read countless comic books, and he did not recall getting bit by a radioactive spider, being exposed to gamma radiation, or being sent to Earth by his alien birth parents. Part of him, the literature nerd, hoped his mother had been seduced by a Greek god while she was married to the man whose name was on the birth certificate of Lucas Matthew Beineke. But he seriously doubted anyone would tell _Lucas _a thing about his real parentage if there was anything to question.

"Thank you." Lucas said to the mayor in his, 'super manly Lux' voice to accept the comically large gold key. "It is the greatest honor to be awarded the key to the city...for the fifth time. And while I've saved you all, I just want you to remember." He took a pause for dramatic effect, and placed his hand over his heart. "That you all are heroes in here." Teenagers began to squeal, and Lucas wished he could cover his overly-sensitive ears. "And it is with great gratitude to you all that I accept this award, on behalf of-"

The sight of a black figure who appeared to be swinging over the crowd on some sort of rope, distracted him for just enough time to be knocked flat on his back. He found himself struggling to breath, with the wind knocked out of him, and a black boot firmly on his chest. He attempted to heave himself up, a normally easy task when an average person held him down, but this time it was as if a steel beam was holding him down(something that had happened to him before, and it hadn't been pleasant).

"Always expect the unexpected, Lux." His eyes finally adjusted and found that the very female black figure was smiling maliciously at him.

"Wh-" He started, as she pulled out what could only be described as a high-tech crossbow and pointed it right at the left of his famous eyes.

"One more move from you, and I'll liquefy your hero's little brain." She said without facing the approaching security guards approaching from behind, that had already pointed their guns at her. "And perhaps burst the eardrums of everyone within a mile. I do think that's what happens with an extremely powerful sonic pulse." She watched as they all lowered their weapons. "Good."

Lux, still pinned to the ground, once again struggled against her. "Not used to people being superior to you, Lightbulb?" She spat, and he stopped. "See, this is the problem with all of you." She began, addressing the thousands of people in the square. "You are all so dependent, that you're willing to treat any freak in tights with an entire bottle of product in his hair, like a god." She pressed down on his chest, enough to get a cry of pain from him."I bet none of you have heard that before, but you deserve to know. Your holier-than-thou Lux, is weak!" She felt a crack beneath her foot and smirked before he let out another cry of agony. The crowd gasped. "But if he wants to be seen as a hero, fine. Just remember that every story needs a villain."

She knelt down after removing her foot from his chest, and patted the broken rib with her gloved hand. "It's nice to meet you; I'm Nera." She whispered in his ear, just prior to yanking the key award from his hand.

With very quick motions, Nera aimed her crossbow at a building and shot out a grapple hook. For good measure, she even threw her head back and laughed manically before swinging away, up over the crowd, her black cape and matching long hair flowing behind her. Gone as quickly as she'd come.

When Lucas finally managed to get up, he winced when he took a deep breath, and had to keep reminding himself that he would heal overnight. Then tomorrow, he could track down the crazy bitch. And he meant that quite literally. She seemed both composed, and completely unhinged at the same time. Very much like an artist, or someone that constantly had a shrink on call.

The crowd screamed again when there was a small explosion in the sky a few blocks away. "Mayor, was that key pure gold?" Lux asked, having a feeling of what was just blown up. The man turned slightly red.

"Gold-plated." He admitted, and Lux nodded his head once.

"Do you think you will be able to handle things from here?" Lux asked the mayor and the security that had attempted to help him.

"Yeah. But are you alright?" The mayor asked. Lux showed his pearly white teeth, and put his fists on his hips.

"I am always alright." He lied, and launched himself into the air with one painful jump. Lucas swore loudly when he knew he was high enough for no children to hear, and against his earlier decision, began to scan. His eyes began glowing brightly while he looked for any psychos with magical crossbows. After five minutes and nothing, he started towards his loft, still in a state between angry and confused.

Lucas found his open window and flew in, making sure he landed as softly as possible so his mother didn't hear him from below, and changed into the normal outfit he'd set out that morning. He remembered his hair, and put a baseball hat on as well. Only then did he open his bedroom door and levitate just above the floor in a way that he called, 'ghosting', downstairs to the front door, which he opened and closed as noisily as possible before dropping to his feet.

"Mom, I'm home!" Lucas called. He walked into the living room, where his mother, Alice, had her eyes glued to the television.

"Sweetheart!" She turned to him. "I was so worried about you!" She wrapped her arms around him tightly, which normally could not elicit a small gasp of pain from her son. "What's wrong?" She asked in concern.

"Nothing. I just am a little freaked out by that thing in Rockefeller." He lied.

"I know, I saw. Who was that maniac, anyway?" Alice asked. Her son shrugged. "Well, it's times like these that I miss Ohio. Even with that Lux flying around."

"Mom, you hated Willard as much as I did." Lucas said as he sat down on the sofa as carefully as possible.

"That is not true. I had lots of friends, and people loved my poems." She argued. "Besides, I didn't have to worry about you being attacked by the X-Men in Willard!" She added.

"The X-Men are good and fictional, Mom." Lucas stated. Alice sighed.

"Your father used to wonder if those comic books were going to ruin you. But then again, he said that about everything but sports and real estate." She sat down next to her son. "It's no wonder the stress finally got him."

"Then it's a good thing I do nothing 24/7!" Lucas said with a grin, and his mother jokingly smacked the side of his head with a magazine. Lucas noticed the cover. "Since when do you read Forbes?" He asked.

"Amanda sent it over for you." He sighed and took it from his mother.

"What page?"

"Fifty." Alice said, already having read the shallow article on the heiress. She turned back to the news, still showing replays of that morning's events, while her son flipped to the page. After a while, he laughed loudly, and re-read the passage to Alice.

"_Miss. Buckman devotes her time to needy children, and donates heavily to charitable organizations_." Alice giggled. "Precisely. I think pigs will fly before that happens." Lucas was about to throw the magazine away when the picture on the page after Amanda's caught his eye. A strikingly beautiful young woman with very pale skin, jet black hair in two tight braids, a black dress that belonged in another time (probably the photographer's decision), and not a semblance of a smile from her lips, nor her brown eyes.

_At the very young age of just eighteen, Wednesday Addams is the heiress to one of America's biggest fortunes. She is the niece of past Forbes' Most Eligible Bachelor, Fester Addams. Miss. Addams has declined to be interviewed, however, Forbes has learned that she was home schooled by her mother after seventh grade, and recently ended her relationship with her boyfriend of several months, Henry McIves. She is no longer a suspect in his disappearance._

_She has chosen to remain off the radar for most of her life, so it is relatively unknown if she is involved with charities, or has a reality television show planned. But, according to an outside source, she is a staunch liberal, and may possibly be opposed to the recent amendments to the vigilante law in New York._

Lucas shook his head, and tossed the magazine onto the coffee table. No, it couldn't have been her. That would be absurd. Clearly, it was time for some pain meds.

* * *

"That was the worst display of 'keeping your cool' while revealing yourself to the public, that I have ever seen." Wednesday's brother greeted her the moment she stepped off the elevator.

"I would have loved to see you do better." Nera shot back as she peeled off her mask.

"Look, I hate the arrogant jerk as much as the next guy, but I think breaking him on live TV was a bit extreme." Pugsley said as he unclasped the cape from his sister's back, and hung it up carefully.

"I may have slightly lost my cool in front of that crowd." Wednesday admitted.

"Slightly?" The twelve-year-old laughed at the understatement of the century while his sister struggled to find the zipper on her back. "Need help?" He asked. She nodded, and he slowly slid it down in a manner that made Wednesday feel completely uncomfortable, and she smartly decided to change behind a divider.

"But aside from the whole mishap, how did it look from your perspective?" She asked while slipping out of the Kevlar and leather catsuit. "Did I look insane in the good way, or insane like Grandma?"

"Well, apparently teenagers have been making death threats against you online." Pugsley offered as a way around the question. After a short pause, his sister reappeared wearing one of her usual dresses, and a satisfied smile.

"Excellent." She interjected, and began to braid her hair with speed that could only be the product of years of practice, and abnormal coordination.

"And of course, there's a warrant out for Nera's arrest." Pugsley added.

"Charges?"

"Assault, grand larceny, destruction of property, illegal weapons possession, disturbing the peace, and resisting arrest." He named them off. "Congratulations."

"Thank you." She crossed over to the lair's mini fridge and pulled out orange juice and cyanide.

"I think you should probably stay under the radar for a couple weeks until this dies down a bit." Pugsley suggested and his sister nodded. There was a small pounding on the elevator door, followed by the faint shouting of a little boy.

"Guys, let me in!" Pugsley got next to the door and yelled,

"What's the password?"

"You guys never gave me one!" Pubert yelled back.

"Oh, well too bad!" Pugsley shouted back maliciously. It took all of two seconds for the little boy to start wailing, and Wednesday was forced to open the door with the remote.

"Way to undermine me, Wednes." Pugsley said to his sister as their baby brother entered with a smug grin on his face.

"You have no power here, so I'm not undermining anything." She defended, and poured an extra glass of juice for Pubert. "Cyanide?" She asked, and the six-year-old gave her an exasperated look.

"What do I look like, a child?" He asked, and Wednesday laughed.

"Oh, no. Not at all." She handed him the glass and took hers.

"Nice bluff with the part about the sonic attachment." Pubert complimented after he'd taken a sip.

"I don't know what you mean." She said with a wink. "But seriously, thank you for designing a sturdy grapple hook. Falling and then running out of there would have just been embarrassing." Pubert smiled.

"I can't do anything with sonic, but father and Lurch helped me make some modifications to your car." He offered.

"Have I told you you're brilliant recently?" Wednesday asked her baby brother as he led her into the garage portion of the lair.

"Kissass." Pugsley murmured from where he was being forced to make his own drink.

"I heard that!" The younger boy yelled.

"Don't care." Pugsley said back, and followed his siblings into the garage.

At first glance, Wednesday's black 1957 Chevy Bel-Air appeared the same. Pubert was forced to walk around, showing off all of the new features, including bullet and fireproof body and glass, all new engine that allowed the American classic to outrun any modern police car, and Wednesday's favorite; a machine gun that would rise from the hood with a push of a button.

"I made your bombs." Pugsley mumbled.

"Stop being a baby." Wednesday said absently to him as she tested out the driver's seat, and grinned like a proper maniac at the new control panel.

"Wednesday, remember what I said about keeping a low profile?" Pugsley asked rhetorically as she started it up and revved the engine.

"Carbon monoxide." Pubert sighed.

"Tell Mother and Father that I'll be back soon." Wednesday said to her brothers as she pressed the garage door opener on her sun visor.

"What did I just say?!" Pugsley yelled in vain as she peeled out of sight up the ramp and outside. He angrily pulled a cigar and a lighter out of his back pocket. "She never listens! I tell you, Pubert, sometimes I wonder why we put up with her." He took a drag off his cigar and sighed.

"Because she's our sister, and you enjoy the physical pain she dishes out to you on a regular basis, which some might consider creepy?" Pubert barely got to finish his sentence before his brother punched him in the stomach, and caused him to fall to the ground. "Wanna go kill a squirrel?" He strained to ask.

"Uh huh." Pugsley agreed, and sulked up the ramp, with Pubert crawling behind him.

* * *

**Yay super OTP! But seriously, was it good? Review!**

**And here's some fun little tidbits for you all. Lux is Latin for light(which is the meaning of the name Lucas), Nera's Italian for black, Pugsley's one-sided creepiness is totally canon in the musical (seriously, go rewatch What If and tell me otherwise), and the title is the opposite of Turn Off the Dark (the name of the atrocious Spider-Man musical). **


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: Whooo, another chapter! And it's long, with character development!**

* * *

Weeks passed, and to the surprise of the citizens of New York, Nera failed to reappear. In fact, Lux had been fairly MIA as well, but that could be explained away by the odd drop in major crime. Actually, the police found themselves constantly discovering people carrying illegal weapons knocked unconscious and hogtied. Most had active warrants, ranging from robbery to rape- the latter usually were also severely beaten and occasionally had to be hospitalized before sentencing. The NYPD suspected this was the work of some amateur vigilante trying to follow in Lux's footsteps. It wouldn't be a first.

This seemed almost like a holiday gift to the cops, as people didn't have to fear petty muggers as much as usual when they did their shopping. However, a slow time for the paid police meant a busy time for Lux, who told himself that he was doing all of the extra patrolling for the safety of the people, but in reality, he was looking for _her_. Like everyone else, he hadn't seen Nera, and while some of his anger had died down after the very painful night of healing, it didn't mean he had no desire to bring the hammer of justice upon her.

He had almost given up all hope of finding her when he'd decided to track a lead about a drug ring operating under a chain of bodegas. Supposedly, they were easily smuggling liquid cocaine from Mexico in coffee creamer containers. They wouldn't have been discovered had it not been for a college student that had gotten a wrong bottle, and overdosed. Not exactly the kind of buzz you expect to get from cram coffee.

Lucas heard about the possible location of the main racket from his police scanner and decided to take it down. The short flight to the corner store sitting beneath some run down apartments left him slightly cold in the winter air, but it was otherwise fairly easy to find the place. The tricky part required a little foresight. Lucas' irises glowed as he used his eagle eye power to see through the windows of the apartments for signs of the racket, but he only managed to accidentally see more skin than what was intended.

"Sorry." He murmured under his breath, and concluded that there was probably a basement beneath the bodega. He flew lower around the perimeter of the building until he found a basement window. Not big enough for him to get through, but he was perfectly capable of seeing through the dirty glass.

There appeared to be five men with doctors masks around their necks, all aiming their guns at a person Lucas was unable to see from his vantage point. Possibly a rival drug dealer? Maybe they were turning on the boss? He would have to get inside to find out. He considered his options, and decided on what was probably not the most practical, but definitely the fastest. Lux positioned himself in the air so that his feet would contact the old bricks, and flew full speed at the building, breaking through, and then dropping to his feet on the floor of the basement, fists raised. He ignored the pain in his right ankle, and very quickly prepped for the onslaught that failed to come.

The same armed men he'd seen just minutes before were now gagged, and tied together in a circle with black rope. Based on his surroundings, he concluded that he was definitely in some sort of processing/storage room for the cocaine, but he cocked his head in bewilderment at the men in the centre of the room, who, to his surprise, showed terror in their eyes.

"You're aware of the fact that you could have taken the stairs, right?" An all-too-familiar voiced asked, and Nera stepped out of a shadowy corner. Lucas quickly switched from surprise, to confusion, to anger in a matter of seconds.

"You!" He said in the most intimidating voice he could muster.

"Yes, me. You do realize that someone will have to fix that, right?" She pointed to the gaping hole he'd made.

"It was for the sake of justice. Had I not done it, who knows what you would have done here." Lux explained.

"Exactly what you missed. I was just leaving, actually." Nera dramatically turned on her heel. "Think you can handle getting these men to a precinct like a big boy?" She called over her shoulder, and took about two steps before he had grabbed her and spun her around to face him. She smiled.

"What were you doing here?" Lux demanded.

"I was bored, and the museum doesn't close for another hour." Nera was far more amused at Lux's reddening face than she was fearful of him. "What are you going to do- kill me with your smolder?" She taunted, and Lux's grudge got the better of him.

He threw a punch at her face, and she skillfully dodged and took a leap back. They continued the violent dance around the room, with Lux occasionally making contact with the increasingly battered walls, but never Nera, who was growing impatient with the defensive game. One good kick to the groin from her brought Lux to his knees.

"I'd love to stick around, but there's just so much to destroy, and so little time." Nera purred, and jumped through the hole Lux had made. He'd just managed to stand up when he heard a car start, and then peel out outside. He flew out at full speed to track her down.

* * *

"Please, tell me it went as smoothly as you thought it would." Pugsley greeted his sister over her car's built-in phone.

"It did." Wednesday said as she swerved through New York traffic. "Well, until Lightbulb Lux showed up." She added.

"Oh, no." He groaned. "Is he alive?" Wednesday chose this time to look in her rearview mirror, and saw Lux flying right at her.

"Yes. Very much so." She said to her brother, and sped up.

"What's happening?" Pugsley asked.

"Oh, he's just coming after me." She said nonchalantly.

"Just?!" Pugsley yelled as there was a very loud thud on the roof of the car.

"Yeah, okay, gotta go." She said frantically and ended the call just as a gloved hand appeared the top of her windshield. She drifted around a corner at the next intersection, and smiled when Lux went tumbling off the car.

Satisfied, she continued to grin smugly- for about five seconds, until there was another thud. This time, Lux decided to dangle his head down over the driver's side window. Nera had pulled onto a large stretch of surprisingly traffic-less road, so she cockily reached over and cracked her window.

"May I help you?" She asked Lux nonchalantly as she ever increased her speed.

"I think the two of us need to have a little chat." He said as calmly as possible. Nera sucked in air through her teeth.

"Yes, that will be slightly difficult. I'm a very busy woman." She turned her attention back to the road ahead, and her eyes just barely widened before she punched the accelerator. Lux looked at the direction the car was going, and immediately jumped ship, leaving Nera to make the jump off the closed bridge.

She gritted her teeth when she went airborne, and seriously hoped her car would survive. What was a matter of seconds all seemed to slow down, and she breathed a sigh of relief when her car landed right-side up on the other side. Unfortunately, she found herself skidding sideways into a building.

The glass outer walls of the jewelry store shattered completely on impact, and the alarms began to go off. "Crap." Wednesday murmured. She sighed and stepped out of the car, figuring she had a few minutes before Lux, the police, or both arrived. She broke few display cases with her fist, and pocketed the jewelry before jumping back into the car and high-tailing it out of there just as several police cars rounded the corners in an attempt to surround her.

It's not like she had to steal. Actually, the notion if her not being able to afford anything in that store would be simply ridiculous. This was purely about reputation. Hell, she'd donate the diamond earrings to orphans or something. So she sighed as she drove away, taking a slight detour to throw off all of the pursuers before she returned home. She wondered where Lux had flown off to, since surely he could find her easily through flight.

* * *

Lux flew full speed at the building Nera had crashed into. She'd failed to immediately emerge, and he hope something had tied her up. Just as he was directly above her, he felt a vibration in his thigh.

"You have got to be kidding me." He groaned. He reached down and opened the concealed pocket in the right leg of his suit which was nearly invisible to anyone that wasn't looking for it. The caller ID on his cell phone showed Amanda Buckman. Against his better judgment, he picked up, trying to sound as much like mellow Lucas as possible.

"Hello?" He answered, hoping she wouldn't hear wind.

"Lucas! I'm being held captive on top of the Chrysler Building!" She yelled at the top of her lungs. Lucas' eyes widened.

"By who?" He asked with genuine concern.

"I don't know! I'm being held captive you freaking moron! Get help!" She yelled.

"Why didn't you call the police?" Lucas asked, knowing why, but wanting to hear her reasoning.

"I'm in a state of shock! How the hell am I supposed to remember the number for 911?!" She screamed, and he sighed,

"I'll find help." Lucas hung up the phone before she could say anything else, and put it back in his pocket before turning himself around and heading towards the heiress. He kind of cursed having a girlfriend at times, but a superhero having a girl to save was what he thought to be the equivalent to a princess having a prince.

Luckily, the Chrysler Building wasn't too far from his original location. "Heeeeelp!" Lucas could hear Amanda screaming at the top of her lungs as he flew higher. He worried about long term hearing loss when he finally swooped down on the building, where Amanda was standing near the ledge, and appeared to be alone.

"Are you alright?" He asked in his Lux voice. Amanda started crying and nodded.

"Not so fast, Lux!" A grizzly voice said from behind them. He turned around to a gigantic man wearing a black ski mask.

"Why are you doing this?" Lux asked the man as he approached.

"Evil reasons!" The man grunted, and shoved Amanda over the side.

"Nooooo!" She screamed as she began to fall, and Lux didn't hesitate to go after her. He allowed himself to freefall while facing downwards, and given his greater weight than Amanda, caught her about halfway down. She instantly stopped screaming and sighed,

"My hero." Lux just smiled and flew them down to the ground, where he set Amanda on her feet.

"Who was that maniac?" He asked immediately.

"I really don't know, it all happened so fast." She began. "I was just in my room, trying on some new lingerie..." She lingered for a moment. "And suddenly, some big hulking man comes into my room and forces me to put some clothes on. And then," She took a pause for what she probably thought was dramatic effect, but really it just seemed redundant. "He took me to the top of the Chrysler Building."

"How?" Lux asked.

"What?" Amanda asked in complete disbelief.

"How did he get you up there. If you were inside the building, it would make more sense." He explained, hoping his serious suspicion didn't make itself too obvious.

"He climbed it! Like a goddamn gorilla!" Amanda yelled, and began to sob into Lux's chest. At least once, she inhaled his scent deeply. Lucas was just slightly creeped out, but didn't let it show.

When she'd finished her crying fit, she recovered very quickly, and put on what Lucas supposed was a seductive face. "So, how can I ever repay you, Lux?" He swallowed a large amount of saliva before she lunged at him, seeming to attack his mouth from all angles.

He closed his eyes and tried to pretend it was romantic like in every comic book he'd ever read, but it was undeniable that this sick feeling in the pit of his stomach did not happen with Superman and Lois Lane, or Spider-Man and Gwen Stacy. Maybe it had to do with his girlfriend cheating on him with himself, maybe because she staged her own kidnapping in order to get his attention. The latter would have been kind of endearing (in a stalker sort of way) had it not caused him to lose Nera, who would never be caught by any Average Joe NYPD officer.

"We must stop." He said after he broke away from Amanda's lips. "You have a boyfriend." She rolled her eyes.

"Oh, like you REALLY care about that." She said sarcastically and tried to go back to kissing Lux, but he stopped her.

"No. It is not right." He turned around and prepared to take flight. "I must leave you here; sorry." He jumped into the air and barely flew two blocks before landing on an apartment building, grabbing his hair, and breathing deeply through his nose.

"It seems you're having a bit of a rough night." The voice he least expected, and the worst, said from behind him. He whipped around to see Nera retracting her grapple hook's cord into her belt. He raised his fists, and she put her palms up in front of herself. "Look, can we have a civil conversation without you trying to hit me?" She asked, and Lux sighed.

"Fine. But one wrong move, and I will take you down in a matter of seconds." He threatened, then gestured for her to proceed.

"I couldn't help but witness your little...predicament unfold back there with Whatshername Richbitch." She started. Lux couldn't help the corners of his mouth from turning upward slightly at the nickname.

"Amanda Buckman?" He offered.

"Oh, I know her name." She smirked. "Anyways, she had her father's helicopter drop her off on the building with that guy that pushed her over the edge."

"Yes, I somewhat gathered." Lux admitted.

"So, is she your damsel in distress or something?" Nera asked.

"If I said yes, wouldn't you find some way to kidnap her for our final showdown?" He asked, referring to every major superhero battle ever.

"Probably not. I don't care so much about you personally as I do your politics." She leaned against a pipe, and Lux raised an eyebrow.

"What examples of my politics?" He was truly curious.

"Well, people like to treat you as some sort of god, you do nothing to discourage it, and you are, I'm sorry, completely fake." She explained.

"I am not fake!" Lux said on the seriously defensive side.

"The voice; the hair- which I'm glad you left the gel out of, it looks nice; and the fact that you make yourself out to be the epitome of good." She elaborated. Lux crossed his arms.

"I don't make myself out to be anything." He murmured.

"Hallelujah, you used a contraction!" She exclaimed. "But I'm afraid I won't be able to believe that statement until you speak to me like a human, and not a partial android."

"I do not-" Lux began, and cleared his throat. For reasons he simply couldn't explain, he became Lucas. "Sorry." Nera waited for him to go on. "Maybe I do sort of make myself out to be someone I'm not for the public. But the things I do, the people I save; that's all me."

"I don't doubt that." Nera admitted. "It's just the fact that you're an attention whore that acts about as one-dimensional as the drawings you take inspiration from, that kind of makes me want to choke you." She felt the need to add, "No offense."

"None taken." Lucas chuckled. "I don't even like who I've become sometimes. Believe me, two years ago, I did not see myself doing interviews for late night talk shows."

"Yes, well, somehow as a child, I didn't see myself robbing jewelry stores." Nera admitted, and Lucas raised an eyebrow at this confession. "I'll donate the money to charity, if you'd like." She offered.

"Oh, my oldest enemy; moral ambiguity." Lucas admitted his feelings toward Nera's most recent criminal act.

"Look, doing the right thing is not always the lawful thing." She defended her actions. "Besides, I can't have people thinking I'm like you! What would my mother say?" She added jokingly.

"My mother doesn't even know I do this." Lucas said.

"Probably for the best." Said Nera. "Well, I suppose I'd better get back to my secret evil lair now." Lucas nodded.

"So, will we go back to hating each other now?" He asked.

"We don't have to." She admitted. "But I just can't have you getting in the way of what I do."

"Likewise." Lucas agreed.

"Sorry for breaking your rib. I'm not good on camera." She said as she shot her grapple hook out across several buildings.

"It's cool. I don't think they was any permanent damage."

"Speaking of; ice." Nera stated, and Lux raised his eyebrow again. "For your ankle, and your-" She gestured to his nether regions. He bit his bottom lip and nodded.

"I'll see you around." He bid her farewell.

"Yeah. I'll need you there when I attempt to take over the world." She joked, and swung away into the night.

* * *

**This story is so fun to write, you have no idea. And do you know what's almost as awesome as writing it? Getting reviews for it. I am a junkie for recognition. **


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: Yay, another chapter!**

* * *

"Lucas, time to get up!" Alice called (somehow in a chipper manner), through her son's' bedroom door, and banged on it three more times. The young man groaned, and lifted himself up into a sitting position like a zombie rising from the grave. He rubbed his eyes and took his phone from the nightstand. 7:30 AM. His mother never allotted him a few extra minutes, did she?

Off to the closet he went, picking out an outfit for the day's events, and after a slight debate with himself, decided to wear his suit underneath. In his early hero days, he quickly learned that the major trouble in the city happens when least expected, and the last thing he needed was to have to go home for his disguise. He grabbed his backpack from beside his bed and headed downstairs to the kitchen, where his mother was just putting the lid on his coffee mug.

"Thanks mom." He said as he accepted the cup, and then kissed her cheek before turning to head out the door.

"Don't forget, we have the Buckman gala tonight." Alice called, and Lucas let out a rather loud sigh.

"What illness could possibly get me out of it?" He asked.

"None. Your father owned a lot of stocks in this company. Besides, Amanda will be there, of course." Alice often teased Lucas about his relationship with the air-headed heiress. While she personally didn't care for the girl, all that mattered was that she made her son happy.

"Okay, Mom." He didn't exactly sound too thrilled, but it seemed he wouldn't disappear all night this time.

Lucas walked to the elevator, and then began trekking to the nearest subway station. This simple task seemed so trivial to him, which was often frightening. Had he become so dependent on his rather unorthodox method of transportation, that it was changing who he was as a person? No, probably because the subway's disgusting. At least he didn't have to worry about dropping his coffee and seriously injuring someone below.

His classes at NYU seemed to drag on more than usual today. Even his favorite professor, who was often very animated in his teaching of literature, seemed rather dull. Lucas was actually hoping for some sort of alien invasion that would give him an excuse to turn into his alter ego with a much more exciting life, if not a rather dangerous one.

By the time the last class got out and he was walking back to the subway, Lucas was almost giddy to see the hoard of police cars zooming in one direction. He grinned, ran into an alley, and quickly stripped himself of his normal clothes. Lucas stuffed them in his backpack, where he retrieved his mask from. Lux then chucked the backpack up into a spot where no one but him could get it, and took flight.

It wasn't hard to spot the high-speed chase, and he was almost relieved to see that the perp was not driving a black Chevy. He swooped lower, and flew beside the passenger window of one of the cop cars. The deputy sitting in the seat behind it grinned like a maniac and rolled down his window.

"Good afternoon, Officer." Lux greeted him with a grin. The man, not much older than himself, was grinning like a maniac.

"Oh my god, it's so great to meet you!" The young cop gushed, and his middle-aged partner groaned.

"Now is not the time, O'Hara!" She chastised.

"What seems to be the problem?" Lux asked. The young one, O'Hara pointed ahead.

"Bank robbery. The guy's supposedly armed, and stole about a quarter-million dollars." Lux grinned.

"Do not worry. I will take care of this." He said to the men and flew ahead. Compared to Nera's impossibly fast car, the Ford Fusion was fairly easy to catch. This time, he dropped to his feet on the hood, and crouched down to meet the driver's eyes.

"Holy shit!" The criminal screamed in surprise, and began to swerve due to his now limited vision. Lux clenched his hands into fists and began battering the windshield until he'd made a sizable hole, and the driver crashed into a wall. Unfazed, Lux reached in and pulled the man from the car.

"Did your mommy not teach you that you shouldn't steal?" He asked rhetorically as he dragged the possibly-concussed bank robber to the back door where he smashed the window with ease and found the bags of money. It was when he was reaching in that he heard the click. He turned to face the bloodied criminal with his pistol aimed right at the hero's head. Lux opened his mouth to say something when the perp simply collapsed in front of him, an arrow in his back.

"Well, that was a close one." Nera approached from behind the possibly dead man, crossbow in hand. "Don't worry, I just shot a non-vital area with a very powerful tranquilizer. He should be up for trial in a few days." She explained. Lux glanced down at the man.

"Impressive," He complimented. "But I could have handled that myself." Nera disagreed, but let it go.

"It's actually rather lucky I caught you here." She stepped over the criminal's unconscious body. "What do you know of Buckman Inc.?" She asked straightforwardly. He almost said that they'd bought his father's company two years before, but that would have definitely breached his identity.

"Multi-purpose corporation founded by billionaire Don Buckman in 1988. The nation's leading distributor of pharmaceuticals, automobile modifications, and children's toys. Has been criticized for its outsourced labour and questionable ethics in their toys- the most notable one being the baby doll that appeared to say homophobic slurs, which the company claimed was simply an unfortunate voicebox malfunction." Lux said this at rapid fire speed.

"Well done. Are you aware of the fact that it's their annual holiday gala tonight?" Nera asked, and Lux nodded. "It's rumored that there's going to be some sort of big unveiling at it."

"An unveiling of what, exactly?" Asked Lux. Nera shrugged her shoulders.

"I'm guessing something important enough that it has to be unveiled in a room full of rich investors." She hypothesized.

"So, not another racist action figure?" He asked.

"Exactly." She agreed.

"Is that all you wanted to talk about?" Lux asked. Nera had no time to respond because the police cars fun joined them.

"Curses! You'll never take me alive, Lux!" She over-dramatized at the top of her lungs and grapple-hooked away. Lucas couldn't help but chuckle as the police all scrambled out of their cars and pointed their guns in every direction.

"You fiend!" Lux screamed in a random direction and turned to the police.

"Unfortunately, I don't think we'll be able to catch her this time." He said to them, and they all lowered their weapons hastily. He lifted up the unconscious man by the arms and dragged him over to one of the cars. "Probably best you call an ambulance." Wanting to avoid any possible holes in his story, Lux left out the part about the perp pulling his gun, and simply said that he'd knocked the guy out when he tried to escape from the vehicle. He waited until they'd all gone back to the station and had the Ford impounded before looking up at the sky.

"You still there?" He called.

"Yep." Nera said from right behind him, causing him to jump about ten feet in the air due to shock. When he'd come back down on the ground, she was giggling. He could see now that she was hanging upside down from the cord.

"Well, doesn't this look familiar?" He said as he took in the scene.

"I'm not exactly sure. My knowledge of pop culture is...limited." She did the kind of maneuver you'd see from an Olympic gymnast and landed on her feet. "So, we were saying?" She asked as she smoothed down her hair.

"You were about to tell me if you had anything to say to me other than something big will happen with Buckman Inc.." Lux recapped.

"Right, right." Nera nodded and thought for a moment. "No, I think I covered everything."

"Fine. So, have you been staying out of trouble?" He asked.

"Since last night? Yes." She replied.

"Good." Lux said with a smirk.

"Don't get all high and mighty. There's still plenty of time for me to go rob a bank or something." She said, and he continued to just smile. "I'm not going to become some stupid hero like you!" She insisted.

"Never said you would." Nera's fist connected with Lux's left cheek. "Ow!"

"Dammit, you are infuriating!" She yelled and grappled away. Lux looked around, doing all but scratching his head in bewilderment. It took her about twenty seconds to reappear. This time when she grappled upside down in front of him, he at least didn't freak out. At least, not until she grabbed his face and pulled his lips to hers. All Lux to think to do was flail his arms as one if his favorite superhero moments ever, happened to him. Well, a very warped version. Also kind of rough.

"I'm sorry, I just had to see what that felt like." She said and disappeared again, leaving Lux to his jumbled thoughts as he flew back to the first alley and retrieved his things before flying home. He knew he wouldn't have time to travel like a civilian without getting yelled at by his mother for making her late to the party.

* * *

"Oh, it's even prettier than last year!" Alice Beineke gushed as she stared at the enormous Christmas tree in the centre of the Buckmans' massive ballroom. Her son, who at one point in time may have found linking arms with his mother to be embarrassing, smiled at the simple things that made her happy. It was rare that he got to enjoy things anymore. He enjoyed his moment of peace before he inevitably had to approach Amanda. She didn't seem terribly thrilled to see him, which was probably for the better.

"Hello, Amanda." He greeted her, and she pecked his lips as a sort of formality. He frowned, waiting for the right moment.

"Ugh, this party's so lame." She groaned. "All these old people to is talk about politics and the stock market. Like, I'm not saying those things aren't important, but Lux totally almost died today. Doesn't he deserve some damn recognition?" Amanda's rant caused Lucas to desperately grab a glass of champagne from a passing waiter.

"Do you mind if we go somewhere private?" He asked his girlfriend quietly, gesturing to several of her friends very close by.

Why?" She asked. "If you have something to say, then go for it." Lucas sighed and tried to be as confident in himself as possible.

"I- think this relationship isn't working out." He forced out. Amanda narrowed her eyes.

"What?" She asked.

"I want to break up." Lucas clarified.

"You have got to be kidding me." She looked at her friends and turned back to him. "Was it that skank, Brittney?" She asked.

"No." He said and took a drink of the champagne.

"Then who?" She pried.

"No one." Lucas admitted, to her utter shock. "I just don't want to be with you anymore." He was given a prompt slap across the face, and he turned on his heel back to the dance floor while Amanda went to trash him with her friends. He found his mother conversing with some women she'd befriended at past events and decided to leave her to that.

"Would you care to dance?" A female voice asked, and he turned to finally see her. She wore a black dress that flowed in a way similar to her black cape, and her face was completely recognizable, even without her mask. He nodded and the two began to waltz around the dance floor.

"I never thought I'd see you here, Nera." Lucas whispered at the young woman.

"Please, call me Wednesday here, Lux." She whispered back.

"And you can call me Lucas." He replied and spun her. "I must admit, that picture in Forbes really doesn't do you justice, Wednesday." He smiled coyly.

"Flattery will not better your chances of me not killing you in an alley, Lucas."

"That wouldn't be the first thing you've done to me in an alley." Lucas smirked. Wednesday stomped his foot.

"Sorry." She apologized with about as much sincerity as a snake. Lucas grimaced, and dipped her.

"Would you like to take this outside?" He asked as he held her in place.

"I wouldn't like to miss this." She said up to him just as music tackily cued Mr. Buckman up onto the stage. The aging man smiled hugely at the audience of investors and general people with heaps of money to spare. Lucas brought Wednesday up and let go of her. The two turned their attention to the CEO along with everyone else, many applauding.

"Thank you." He said and they all shushed. "I would like to thank you all for coming here tonight, and Happy Holidays." Lucas clapped politely. "I really hope you're all enjoying yourselves, and I was planning on waiting a few more weeks to unveil this-"

"No he wasn't." Wednesday muttered, and Lucas made an exaggerated shush motion. She rolled her eyes.

"I, like many of you, am a big fan of Lux." Buckman began, and Lucas and Wednesday both sighed in unison. "And I'm sure many of you wonder how he's so remarkable. He looks just like you and me, doesn't he?" He asked rhetorically.

"Except he's super hot!" Amanda yelled from the back of the ballroom, sounding significantly less sober than she had just a short while before.

"Well, yes." Don failed miserably to laugh off his daughter's comment. "Here at Buckman Incorporated, we are constantly striving for bigger and better things. And that's why, for the past two years, we've been working day and night to bring you the next, and highest step on the gene ladder. " Lucas and Wednesday met each others skeptical gaze.

"What's happening?" Lucas mouthed, and Wednesday shrugged.

"I would like to introduce you all to Carson Kelven." A tall, handsome man with chiseled features stepped onto the stage, followed by two scientists in lab coats. "Carson may just one day give Lux a run for his money." Don turned his attention to the scientists, who each produced a rather large syringe full of glowing blue liquid. Carson removed his jacket and rolled up the sleeves of his white dress shirt.

"Don't worry, ladies and gentlemen, he will be more than fine." This final statement from Mr. Buckman sent chills down the spines of Lucas and Wednesday. With a nod from their boss, the scientists stuck the syringes in the young man's arms. He immediately cringed as the blue liquid was forced into his bloodstream, and let out a blood-curdling scream just moments after the needles had been removed from his arms. The audience gasped as he collapsed and writhed on the ground. Lucas could see that all of his veins had turned the color of the serum, and were popping out everywhere. Ushers immediately began calming the audience, and after a few more minutes, Carson Kelven went silent.

Just as people dared to think that he might be dead, he sprang to his feet with one fluid motion. He smiled out at the audience, and even their average eyes could see that his muscles had grown considerably, and he was at least three inches taller than before. Don smiled proudly and approached Carson, who leaned down to let the man whisper in his ear. He nodded, saw something at the far end of the ballroom, and to the shock of everyone in the room, he flew over to it.

He reached down and flipped over the empty table. From there, he tore one of the stainless steel legs off of it, and folded it in half as if it were looseleaf paper. All but two people in the crowd applauded.

"It's so nice to meet you all." Carson spoke aloud for the first time. "Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Ultraman."

Wednesday and Lucas' eyes met once more. Without any words exchanged, they made their way for the door, neither looking back at Dr. Frankenstein and his creation.

* * *

**Dun dun DUUUUUUN!**

**Review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: Not going to lie, I put my Addams Family Musical shot glass to good use before editing this, so I apologize in advance for any possible typos.**

* * *

"What the hell was that?" Wednesday asked the moment they were outside the building.

"I have no idea." Lucas admitted. The images of the synthetic superhero still invaded his thoughts. Something about him, even after the transformation, seemed somewhat off.

"We need to get to my lair. I need to run some tests on you." Wednesday said bluntly and grabbed Lucas' arm.

"What tests?" He asked with suspicion.

"I need to see if your powers are like mine." She admitted.

"You have powers?" Lucas asked. Wednesday cocked her head.

"Of course I have powers! I'm stronger than you, I'm durable, and also, I can kill you with my brain." Lucas raised an eyebrow. "Actually not the last one, but you get what I mean." She admitted.

"Even so, I don't want tests done on me. Especially since you were just threatening to kill me." He said defiantly.

"Look, I really don't have a clue as to what I can say to you that will make you trust me." Wednesday started. "But you should know that I really don't care about anything aside from finding out what's happening in that company. I know you can see something wrong with it." Lucas sighed and reached into his back pocket, from which he produced his black mask.

"You're right." He put the mask over his eyes and tried to mess up his hair.

"I don't know whose side to trust anymore, but you have your moments." He held out his arms. "Ok, hop up." Wednesday raised an eyebrow.

"No. We are not flying to my house." She refused.

"Why not?" Asked the somewhat annoyed Lucas.

"Because being carried by you would be degrading." Lucas rolled his eyes. "Also, I don't trust anything at flies without any logical explanation of how they do it." She added.

"What do you mean?" He inquired.

"What is your means of propulsion? HOW do you fly?" She specified. Lucas thought for a moment.

"I guess it's kind of like a ghost, you know? I pretty much just float." He explained to the best of his knowledge, which came purely from experience.

"Ghosts can float because they have no mass, and all of the ones I've met have preferred to walk." Wednesday shot back as she too produced her mask. Lucas would have asked how she knew ghosts, but decided against it. "So do you mind if we take my car?" Nera asked. Lucas remembered the sleek classic.

"Fine, but please don't drive off any closed bridges." He joked as he followed her to the parking garage. The car was back into pristine condition. "You must go to a really good body shop." He commented, not finding even a scratch in the paint.

"My brothers' work." She said passively and unlocked the doors with a remote on her keys. Definitely a modification from the way it was in the '50s, though not as extreme as what could be found inside.

"Oh, look. The Neramobile." He said as he got into the passenger seat and buckled his seatbelt.

"Yes, it's a bit much. But It does come in handy in a crisis." She gave him a pointed look and started the engine.

"I thought you were an insane drug lord!" He admitted.

"Thanks." She said sarcastically and began driving home, wondering if she should ask him to close his eyes or something so he couldn't find her lair again. But it had gotten to the point where she knew she was no longer his top priority.

"Were you expecting that?" He asked quietly. Nera knew what he was asking about, and nodded.

"-Well, I didn't think it was actually going to work." She amended.

"Why didn't you tell me about it before?" Lux asked.

"I didn't know if my source was reliable." She said without hesitation. "My father was invited to that party and I volunteered to go in his place in case anything went wrong." Wednesday used her peripheral vision and without warning, turned onto an unmarked road. Lucas noticed the trees.

"Your lair's in _Central Park_?" He asked in disbelief. She nodded wearily as if this were a common reaction. They broke into a dark clearing where a dilapidated Victorian mansion stood with a few lights coming through the windows. Wednesday turned left into a somewhat hidden little garage that Lucas was surprised to find led to a downwards ramp. It was from this that they descended into the underground lair.

"Come with me." Wednesday parked the car and got out before heading through a door. Lucas followed her into the surprisingly brightly-lit room. "Again, my brothers." She explained. Lucas nodded and took in the place that kind of looked like an especially modern studio apartment, though he noticed other side rooms.

"You must have a lot of time on your hands." He remarked.

"Yes, well I finished homeschooling last year." She said as if it could explain away the massive underground fortress, and led him past a TV set and through a sliding metal door. Surprisingly enough, the little room reminded him of the doctor's office he'd seen only once as a child, when his mother was convinced he'd broken his arm trying to fly from a tree. Of course, he HAD broken his arm, but it mended itself considerably by the time they'd taken the x-ray. However, the sight of Nera in a dress, putting on the latex gloves, was slightly more amusing than a nurse in Ohio.

"I'll just need a blood sample from you." She said and produced a syringe from a drawer. "Don't worry, it's sterilized." She assured him and prompted him to remove his jacket and roll up one sleeve. This gave the both of them horrible flashbacks of normal Carson Kelven, but they powered through it, and Wednesday quickly found a vein.

"Have you done this before?" He asked as she skillfully drew his blood.

"On myself." She replied just as she could withdraw the needle. "Do you need a bandage?" She asked and Lucas shook his head. Without another word, she led Lucas into yet another room. This one, a dark laboratory, seemed much more Nera's style. She brought the vial of Lux's blood over to one machine.

"Top of the line?" He asked, noting the design was different than anything he'd seen on his forensic investigation TV shows. Wednesday nodded and put the vial in a spin tray before typing in something and starting the machine, which whirred for a minute or two before stopping. Lucas heard a printer a few feet away, and Wednesday examined the screen.

"Ah ha. Yes, just as I suspected." She said with a smile as she viewed a model of a strand of Lucas' DNA. He rushed to her side.

"What? What did you find?" He asked desperately as Wednesday reached for the printout.

"An XK." She said simply and scanned the paper. Lucas raised an eyebrow.

"Layman's terms, please?" He asked in confusion.

"So, you learned in biology that normal DNA is made up of four nucleic acids which are often simplified down to A,T,C, and G?" She asked, and he nodded slowly. "Your DNA also contains a completely unexplainable pair that is not either." She pointed to a mismatched rung on the DNA ladder example. "I've dubbed it the XK pair. No human being can have it without being a little, well, abnormal."

"So, does this mean I'm a freak or something?" Lucas asked and looked down at his arms for anything inhuman. She shook her head.

"We all get our DNA from our parents, and the XK pair has usually been completely hereditary." She started. "Well, just look at my family."

"They all have the XK?" He asked.

"Oh, of course." Wednesday typed a code into the computer and brought up seven more strands. "See? We all have it somewhere." She took in Lucas' confused, and somewhat hurt expression. "I'm guessing your mother and father don't have it?" He nodded and she sighed. "I suppose it could have remained dormant in both bloodlines." She theorized. "Let's not jump to conclusions about your parents and see if you're at least healthy." She read the printout aloud to him. "White male, age 18-24, height 5'8, brown eyes, brown hair, virgin..." She smirked when Lucas went red.

"Your machine cannot possibly tell you that!" He shouted. Wednesday laughed.

"No, but you just did." Lucas wasn't nearly as amused as she was. "I'm sorry, but you don't have to get so defensive." She half-apologized and went back to the paper. "But yes, you are perfectly healthy aside." Lucas nodded.

"But back to the subject of the XK," he started back up. "Is it the only way people can have superpowers?" He asked. Wednesday thought for a moment.

"I believe so. In fact, I think the Greeks and Romans attempted to explain us with religion." She concluded, and Lucas' eyes widened.

"Like, mythology? Like, Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades?" He clarified, and she nodded. "Yes!" Lucas yelled with triumph.

"Yes, it's quite amazing." Wednesday agreed with slightly less enthusiasm. "But why did you ask if the XK pair is responsible for powers?" She asked hesitantly. Lucas' face got far more serious.

"How did that guy fly and bend a steel bar, Wednesday?" He inquired. Wednesday ignored the ridiculous sensation she felt when Lucas called her by her name.

"Unless he was already an XK carrier- which isn't too absurd compared to other things BC has done to make money on hack products, that stuff they injected him with must have contained some sort of synthetic XK." She guessed, and her face somehow got whiter than usual.

"Does anybody know about this XK stuff other than you?" Lucas asked, and Wednesday shook her head, but it almost wasn't directed at him.

"Wednesday, what would directly modifying a person's DNA sequence do?" He asked, looking directly into her eyes, and for the first time, he saw what may have been true fear in them.

* * *

"Hey, Joey! I'm hungry!" A gravely voice said over an intercom. The young scientist put on babysitting duty groaned and pushed the button on the wall.

"You just ate, Carson. And it's Joel." The scientist said wearily. The genetically-engineered hero was declining in almost every aspect in only a matter of days, and he'd become completely insufferable to his own private babysitter.

"I'm a growing boy, Joel." Carson pleaded, and suddenly turned angry. "And I told you, I am to be referred to as ULTRAMAN." He smacked his fist into the enhanced glass and cracked it, earning himself an electrical charge.

"If you work on your temper, we can let you out." Joel said and pulled a Stephen King paperback from his lab coat. The moment he sat down in a chair, there was a bloodcurdling male scream that echoed through the halls of the Buckman laboratory.

"God, doesn't that guy ever shut UP?" Ultra complained, and Joel sighed.

"Don't you think you would be in a great deal of pain as well if you were growing four extra arms?" He asked the rage monster.

"I can't think with the fucking constant screaming!" Ultra yelled as the mutating man screamed again. "So, does he get a superhero name, too?" He asked when the fit finally stopped.

"If he wants one." Joel rubbed his eyes. Exhausted and one-hundred percent done with everything that happened in the lab, he got up from his chair and walked down the hall. It frightened him that he was so desensitized to the horrific things that happened here. It was exactly why Wednesday hated people.

The once average-looking red-haired young man who used to have a great sense of humor, lay on an examination table unconscious. On either side of his torso, two very deformed arms continued to develop at a rapid pace. Joel saw his coworkers examining and taking notes on him like they would with any lab rat. He put on his white mask and joined them.

"Anything new?" He asked Gary, who was taking a tissue sample from one of the new limbs. The middle-aged man looked up at him.

"Well, I'd say that they are growing at an ever-increasing rate, so they should be fully-developed within a few days. Maybe less." Gary smiled.

"Just think of how far these samples will take us." Joel shuddered. This whole thing, it was just so wrong, and yet Gary looked at it with such optimism.

"How's our superstar?" Becky asked, referring to Ultraman.

"He's shown no improvement." Joel said and examined one of the man's extra arms, seeing if there was a pattern in their odd shape.

"Has he been speaking?" Becky asked, and shooed Joel to the side.

"He never stops." The young man wiped his glasses on his labcoat.

"Have you considered that maybe all Ultraman needs is a friend?" Gary asked. Joel cocked his head.

"You know, in my three days of observing his mental and physical stability decline, that must have slipped my mind." He said with the thick sarcasm his coworkers hated.

"Glicker, you know I don't appreciate the attitude." Gary chastised. "But on the subject, update us on his physical condition."

"The veins are pronounced again, and don't look like they're going to go away, his skin has a slightly yellow tint to it, and he has developed a weakness to copper." Joel named off from memory, but he'd probably written down a few more abnormalities.

"He's allergic to _copper_?" Becky asked in disbelief. "It's not even an unstable element!"

"I know, but it seems to have a Kryptonite-like effect on him." Joel explained, and immediately regretted his terminology.

"Krypton is a completely separate element, Joel." Gary informed. Joel pinched the bridge of his nose, and decided to drop it.

"If you really think the psycho needs a friend, you can be my guest, Granger." Joel gestured in the direction of Ultraman's cell. Gary nodded his head once.

"Fine." He said smugly, and led the way. Becky decided to stay behind, taking a few more notes on their failed first experiment.

"I recommend talking through the intercom. Carson doesn't like it when you look in his eyes." Joel warned when Gary approached the glass. Ultraman saw the man and gave an animated smile and a wave.

"Glicker, it's nonsense like that that's making you think he's a monster." Gary walked towards the cell's door.

"I really wouldn't." Joel gave one last warning.

"All he needs is a little harmony." Gary grinned cockily and went into the cell, locking the door behind him. "Hi, Carson." He greeted Ultraman. The monster turned his head slowly, and breathed in through his nose.

"Great." He said menacingly. "I told him I was hungry." Before Gary could move an inch, Ultraman had gotten a hold of his right arm, and with one quick jerk, ripped it off, letting out a geyser of blood. Joel was at the door before Gary had time to scream. Ultraman smiled and took a bite out of the arm flesh, which elicited a grimace.

"Ugh. Undercooked." He muttered, and threw Gary into the electrified window. Joel was forced to stop looking for his keys as Gary stopped screaming, and his body went completely still, letting off some smoke. Joel slowly walked to the window and saw Ultraman tearing at one of Gary's legs. Becky chose this moment to join her husband and coworker, and let out a deafening shriek at the sight of Ultraman eating Gary's well-done body.

"Mmm, barbecue." Ultra said with his mouth full, and then continued to chew the flesh.

* * *

**If you're mortified/grossed out right now; good. You're human. Review****!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's note: People, I give you shipping material.**

Four_ days. Four days of knowing the origin of Lux. Four days of worrying about becoming obsolete, when everyone could be extraordinary in the near future. Four days without seeing the girl in the shadows. _Lucas cursed himself for thinking in poetry, and looked down at his very sugary drink that was less coffee, and more chocolate sprinkles and whipped cream.

"Hello." He was greeted, and he snapped his head back up. There she was, looking as radiant as ever, pulling off a pair of black gloves and taking a seat opposite from him.

"Hi." He smiled as nonchalantly as possible at her.

"May I start by saying that I've never been asked out for coffee via police scanner before. Well done." Wednesday commended Lucas and took a sip of her drink. "So, what's happening? Do you have any news on Buckman Inc.?" She asked, and Lucas shook his head and turned back to his drink. Wednesday raised an eyebrow. "Crime spree amongst juvenile delinquents?" She guessed, and he shook his head again.

"I...sort of just wanted to ask you out- like on a date." He admitted, and carefully sipped his drink to avoid the whipped cream.

"Oh," Wednesday awkwardly sipped hers as well. "Mmm, that is some good chai." She commented, and got a smile out of Lucas. "But seriously, I'm actually glad you asked. I'm really not good at this whole thing." She admitted.

"Really? You seem pretty smooth to me." Lucas said only semi-sarcastically.

"But I can assure you, I didn't ask you out, 'just to see how it feels', if that's what you're thinking." Wednesday's face remained unchanged.

"No, you really don't seem to be in the same archetype as my ex-boyfriend." She said dryly, and Lucas smartly changed the subject.

"I haven't learned anything new, but have YOU heard anything about Buckman Inc.?" He asked.

"I haven't, and that's something in itself." Wednesday stated, prompting Lucas to raise an eyebrow. "Is it not a tad odd that their big advancement is being kept completely under wraps? I mean, knowing this company, they would want it all over the press if they successfully created a superhero, right?" She asked, and Lucas nodded furiously.

"There was even press _at_ the party, which means that Buckman had to have actually paid them off to keep them quiet." He added.

"And the only reason why he wouldn't want it in the press is that something went wrong along the line. And with the stuff they were messing with, we can't narrow anything down." Wednesday concluded, and they both took sips of their drinks in unison.

"So, now that we've done our share of work talk," Lucas started, knowing that personal lives were safe territory again. "Tell me about yourself."

"Well, I'm a professional vigilante- but you already knew that, I have two younger brothers that are twelve and six; Pugsley and Pubert, and my hobbies include game-hunting, dance, and Taekwondo." Lucas chuckled.

"Have you done this before?" He was rather amused at Wednesday's Dating Game approach.

"Yes." She admitted. "So, Lucas, what about you?"

"Also a professional vigilante, but it's somehow legal. I'm an only child, my father's dead, and I live with my mother-" He waited for the inevitable suck in of breath, indicating 'deal breaker', but it never happened.

"Go on," Wednesday prompted and sipped her tea.

"I like writing, and I'm taking a few classes at NYU." Lucas finished.

"So, what led you to want to be a superhero?" Wednesday inquired at a lower volume than the rest of their conversation.

"Helping people, mostly." Lucas admitted. "I grew up reading comic books, and I thought that I must have these powers for a reason."

"So the fame of being one had nothing to do with it?" Wednesday asked, and he shook his head. "Then what's up with the press conferences and such?" She pressed.

"It wasn't a big deal from the start, and then when the big vigilantism debate happened, I figured that if the public saw me as an all-American hero, they wouldn't hamper my efforts to save them." He explained, and Wednesday contemplated it for a moment.

"Yeah, that makes quite a bit of sense." She admitted. "Sorry for breaking you on live TV."

"It's ok; it was a wake up call." Lucas smiled down at his drink. "And it led me to you." Wednesday crossed her hands on the table and leaned forward.

"Oh, really?" She smirked. Lucas nodded and awkwardly took a gulp from his coffee, getting whipped cream on his nose. He reached for a napkin, but Wednesday stopped him.

"Wha-" He started when she stretched across the table and wiped it off onto her finger, which she then brought to her mouth.

"Mmmm."

* * *

"Gang violence?"

"Nah."

"Drug bust?"

"Nah."

"Kidnapping retrieval?" Wednesday read from her car's laptop. Lucas finally seemed interested.

"Okay." He agreed. Wednesday nodded and entered the information into the car's GPS. Both already in costume, they were fully prepared for a fight.

"You know, if we had any other job, working on a date would be awful." Wednesday commented before punching the accelerator and peeling out of the alley. Lucas looked out the tinted windows at the New York dusk.

"Be careful." He said as he saw civilians staring at the car that no doubt seemed very conspicuous. "It's not dark enough for this thing to be sneaky, yet." Wednesday slowed down to the speed limit.

"Forgive me, but I tend to get a little excited when children are involved in adult matters." Wednesday said grudgingly.

"A kid was kidnapped?" Lucas asked, and she nodded.

"Four-year-old son of a bank manager." She elaborated. "To be quite honest, I wouldn't have cared whether or not you wanted to do this."

"I understand."

"Good." Wednesday began to subtly speed back up. "Would you like me to brief you further on the situation so we can avoid any possible accidents?" She asked, no longer sounding like she was on a date.

"I'm pretty sure I can handle it, Wednesday." Lucas reached over and touched her shoulder, initially causing her to tense up, but she soon relaxed. "Calm down. Nothing will happen to him with us around." She nodded, and the two were silent for the rest of the drive out to Queens.

The GPS lead them to a derelict warehouse where several unmarked police cars were already staking out the place.

"We need to find a way without them seeing us. I'm not exactly on good terms with the cops." Nera explained. Lux nodded and his eyes began to glow.

"The guys that took the kid are holed up on the second floor. There's a bunch of third-story windows on the other side of the building that we could enter through. I can't see the kid." His eyes returned to normal and he turned to Wednesday's pleasantly surprised smile. "Sonar." He explained. "I would use it more if it didn't give me a terrible headache."

"Impressive." Wednesday commended. "Ok, so how do we get through those windows without anyone seeing us?"

"Pull over around the block." Lucas instructed, and Wednesday complied. The two stepped out of the car and Lucas reached around to pat his own back. "Now's not the time for feminism. More power to you, but seriously, hop on." He ordered. Wednesday sighed and again complied, climbing into a piggy-back position.

"Hold on." Lucas warned as he launched them into the air and flew back to the building, where he hovered in front of one of the third story windows. "It's locked!" He said to Wednesday, and she rolled her eyes.

"Of course it's locked! Break it!" She said and Lucas brought his fist to the glass, cutting his knuckles on the pieces that shattered. "Let's move. Fast!" Nera whispered and crouched for optimal stealth before leading a ghosting Lux out of the decrepit room that was probably once used as an office or something. At the stairwell, they met the man sent up to investigate the broken window. Nera made quick work of him with one quick punch to the face, knocking him unconscious.

"-Tellin' you, it don't matter if the cops are out there. They're gonna give up the money for the kid." A thick Brooklyn accent could be heard from the stairwell. Wednesday nodded and Lucas and reached for her crossbow before charging in, taking cover, and firing tranquilizers in all directions, making contact ever time.

"Watch out!" She heard Lucas yell and she managed to move just enough to cause the bullet of the last remaining gunman to hit one of the bulletproof spots on her outfit. She turned in their direction, and found Lucas holding the man in a chokehold.

"Where's Ben?!" She asked the slightly dazed criminal, and slapped him across the face.

"Bitch!" He yelled, and she hit him again.

"I'm not afraid to kill you." She growled. "Where is he?" The man struggled to swallow his own blood and saliva as Lux held strong.

"He's-" Nera could practically see the conflicted thoughts rushing through his head. "In there." He finally confessed, and his eyes darted to what appeared to be a closet.

"Lux?" She asked. His eyes glowed briefly and he grimaced in pain before nodding in confirmation. She crossed the room and easily broke the cheap lock on the door.

"Hi, Ben" She whispered to the crying little boy waiting inside. She crouched down to get more on level with him. "Everything's going to be okay, now." His big brown eyes met hers from behind his black wayfarer glasses, and she smiled before scooping him up into her arms. "Lux, get that scum out to the police and have them all booked." She called behind her shoulder as the child rested his head on the other, and she carried him out of the room.

* * *

"I wouldn't have pegged you as a kids person." Lux admitted to Nera as she watched Ben be reunited with his hysterical parents.

"Do I really seem that one-dimensional to you?" She asked.

"Of course not." He corrected immediately. "It's just…nice. You know, seeing you act so different."

"It's nice when things turn out like this." Nera admitted. She glanced over at the police officers that continued to side-eye her. "Can we go?" She asked Lucas.

"Of course." He swooped her up off her feet before she had time to protest.

"Excuse me, Maniac, but where are you taking me?" She asked, only half-nicely as they flew over her car, and began to gain altitude.

"_I can show you the wooorld!_" Lucas began to sing as they headed for Manhattan.

"Lucas, what the hell are you-"

"_Shining, shimmering splendor!_" Wednesday's open hand made contact with Lucas' chest.

"Take me back to my car, you dork!"

"_Tell me, Princess, now when did you last let your heart decide?_" Lucas couldn't help but laugh towards the end of the last line.

"Oh, I'll show you 'princess', buddy." Wednesday crossed her arms and sulked for the entirety of the next verse.

"_A whole new world! A new fantastic point of view! No one to tell us no, or where to go, or say we're only dreaming._" Lucas waited for Wednesday to join in before he cleared his throat and went up about an octave in pitch. "_A whole new world! A dazzling place I never knew. But when I'm way up here, it's crystal cl-_" The verse was abruptly cut off by Wednesday's frustration peaking, and she decided to shut him up in the only way she knew would work; kissing him. For a split-second, they began to fall from the sky, but they soon were rising up again.

"Nice job." Nera said sarcastically. "Now land before you kill us both." Lucas sighed, and landed on the observation deck of the Empire State Building, which was luckily closed for the night. Both heroes had lost track of time in their big rescue. Wednesday walked over to the railing the moment Lucas set her down. "It's kind of nice up here. Quiet." She commented. Lucas nodded and stood at her side.

"It's why I like flying. It's the only time I can every really be alone in this place." He confessed, and placed his hand over hers on the railing. A gust of wind hit them before he could say anything else, and blew a few strands of Wednesday's long hair into his face. "You know, your hair's a bit of a hazard." He teased.

"My hair is fine." She argued, and leaned into Lucas, which surprised him a bit, but he went with it.

"It's getting late." He commented, and Wednesday nodded. "I guess you'll have to go soon." He assumed.

"I don't have to." Wednesday turned her head to look up at him. "Can I show you something?"

* * *

"Hey Joel?" Ultraman called from the bed of his cell. Joel groaned and put down the book he was reading.

"Yes, Ultra?" He replied.

"Are you mad at me?" Ultraman asked innocently.

"You killed and ate my coworker." Joel stated, and stood up to stretch his legs, turning his back to the glass.

"Is that a yes?" The grizzly voice asked. Joel turned around to face him.

"Yes, it was." He noticed that Carson had gotten out of bed. "What, do you want a flesh cookie?" Joel taunted, and Ultraman smiled crookedly.

"Yeah." He said simply, and began to beat the glass, seeming to be completely unaffected by the electric shocks.

"Becky!" Joel yelled in panic and looked around the room for anything that could help the situation as the glass took more and more damage and threatened to break at any moment. Joel felt around in his pants pockets and smiled just as Ultraman managed to break his hand through the glass. "Cu later!" Joel said cockily and threw the penny at Ultraman's hand. He smiled when the hunk of muscles and blue veins fell backwards on impact, but his glee faded as Ultraman quickly regained his strength and stood back up.

"OWY!" He mockingly yelled and went at the glass at full force. Becky ran into the room at this time, and screamed.

"Not helping, Becky!" Joel yelled and got an idea. He jumped up on his desk and reached up for the exposed water pipes. He spotted one of the copper ones and started yanking. It gave way faster than he thought, and he thanked his recent work in the gym. He completely disregarded the small stream of water than came with the pipe's absence, and waited for Ultraman to emerge.

"Are you crazy?!" Becky yelled. "This lab is watertight!" Joel shrugged, and Ultraman broke through. Remembering his years of Jedi role-playing with his friends, Joel wielded the pipe as he would a sword, or a light saber.

"Come at me, Ultra." Joel yelled. Carson contemplated this for a moment, and shook his head.

"I'd rather not. But I'll see you later." Ultraman leaped over Joel's head, and flew into the elevator. He put one fist over his head and jumped again, breaking into the elevator shaft, which he used to get out to the ground level of Buckman Inc., and then put into the city's streets.

He found himself gasping at the lights and traffic, getting sensory overload from it all after seeing it for the first time since he gained his heightened senses. He looked down at the syringe of glowing blue substance in his right hand. A bit of a parting favor he'd taken from the ground level's containment room that he'd burst into. He smiled down at it, and began to walk down the street, hoping his scrubs he was wearing didn't attract any attention. He was ever so full already.

Already done with all of the lights, he turned into an alley, where he saw two woman. The young one was obviously a prostitute. She was being held against a building by the other, a woman in her mid-thirties or so with curled brown hair, and looked to be much better-groomed.

"I don't appreciate it when my girls try to steal from me, Trixie." The pimp purred, and scratched her fingernails across the hooker's face.

"I'm sorry, Dalia!" The girl cried, and the pimp let her go.

"Good." The one called Dalia shoved the girl, and she ran away, right past Ultraman. He walked slowly towards the woman as she reached for a cigarette from her purse.

"I carry a stun gun, ya know." Dalia warned in a Brooklyn accent the moment she saw Carson approaching.

"Good. A beautiful woman such as yourself needs protection." He smiled without showing his teeth, and Dalia decided against having a smoke.

"Look, dude. If it's a good time you want, I'll go get one of my girls. Assuming you can pay." She said as he walked closer.

"I'm not interested in any whores." Ultraman said and continued to walk. He smiled wider when he swore he saw fear in Dalia's eyes.

"What do you want, then?" She asked shakily.

"A strong woman like you. One that's not afraid to use force to get her point across." Ultraman grew weary of walking and flew the rest of the gap, causing Dalia to scream. "Now, don't you worry a hair on your head, my dear." He said and at first gently placed his hand on her cheek to caress it. "You are going to be so happy with me."

With that, Ultraman pushed the side of her face into the brick wall and brought the syringe to her neck, unceremoniously injecting her with all of his contents, and then gently placed her on the ground as she began to writhe as he had. He held her head and stroked her hair, marveling in her rebirth.

* * *

**People, I give you the most adorably messed up ship I've ever created; Dalson. Their theme song is Animal by Neon Trees. Go Tumbl about it or something. **

**Also, I apologize for the terrible element pun.**

**Review!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's note: This is easily the most adult chapter to date, though it does not contain full-on smut because I don't think it would fit right in this story. But anyways, you have been warned. (And yes, I did up the rating just to be safe).**

* * *

"Wow." Lucas commented out loud as he took in the huge, modern penthouse.

"Sorry, I haven't had the time to decorate it." Wednesday apologized as she peeled off her mask and carelessly tossed it aside. "Man, that thing is hard on my skin." She complained. Lucas nodded knowingly.

"You get used to it after a while. Have you gotten the reverse raccoon eyes rash, yet?" He asked before sitting down on one of the sofas in the living room.

"Yes." She groaned as she walked into what Lucas assumed was the kitchen. "I'm actually surprised they work so well. That thing barely covers my eyes." Wednesday said from the room.

"People aren't nearly as intelligent as they're given credit for." Lucas explained, and she entered with two bottles of water, handing one to him. "Thanks." Wednesday nodded.

"I think it really comes down to people seeing what they want." She sat down next to him. "I'm sure at least one person has looked at you out of your suit, recognized the facial similarities, and then simply denied it because they actually don't _want_ to believe that you can be normal." Lucas nodded at her rationalization and stared at the untouched water bottles.

"So you wanted to see me as Lucas at the party?" He asked.

"Of course. To see your enemy for what they truly are, is to see their every weakness." The man sighed at Wednesday's intelligent, but cold response. In a way, that same description could be hastily given to the girl herself.

"My weakness is that I do not use contractions." He half-heartedly joked. Wednesday realized she'd probably hurt his feelings and sighed.

"Also, I like you a lot more than this other guy." She admitted, and slowly reached towards his face. Lucas couldn't stop himself from letting out a minuscule gasp when her finger touched his cheek just below where the still-present mask ended. She gently peeled away the piece of black rubber and smiled genuinely. "Much better." Just as she was going for the kiss, Lucas leaned in and beat her to it, molding his lips to hers, and bringing his hands up to the back of her head.

If some people felt a spark when they kissed the one they loved, then Wednesday and Lucas were feeling ten-thousand volts of electricity coursing though their bodies, conducted by their own positive and negative charges meeting at the joining of their mouths. They both occasionally broke away for fractions of a second to get much-needed air, but they always came right back, exploring each other's mouths and finding the places that made them tick.

Wednesday managed to reach around to Lucas' upper back, and felt around for the Lux suit's zipper. He realized what she was trying to do, and reached around to assist her, never once breaking the kiss in the process. Wednesday yanked the suit down to his waist, cursing the stretchy material for making this difficult. Lucas used the opportunity of being naked from the waist up as an excuse to yank at Wednesday's cape, smiling when it snapped off without ripping. He broke away for just a moment to carelessly toss it aside, and then resumed sucking face with Wednesday.

At some point, he began to question if this was what he wanted, if it was moving too fast, and he knew he could stop if he had to. But these thoughts immediately vanished when he let himself give in to his inner desire to be with someone who could truly understand him, who cared about Lucas, not Lux. Even if Wednesday's hands were admittedly a little cold, she made him feel warm all over with every touch, and he knew this wasn't a mistake.

The two stood, still intertwined, and Lucas lifted Wednesday off her feet, levitating just above the floor.

"Bedroom." Wednesday whispered, and Lucas wasted no time in flying in what was the most likely direction of the bedroom, given the locations of the kitchen and living room. He zoomed through the correct open door, and landed on top of Wednesday on the king-sized bed, reaching around for her zipper and kissing her neck simultaneously.

"Wait!" She stopped him, and pushed him an inch or two away. She lowered her eyebrows and smirked. "Is it true you have x-ray vision?" She whispered. Lucas fought the urge to laugh as he slid off the bed and stood up. The glow emitted from his eyes for half a second before it turned off and he smiled.

"Postaxial polydactyl. Sexy." He commented, and Wednesday instinctively looked at her boot-clad right foot.

"You looked at my feet?" She asked in disbelief.

"It's the only thing out of the ordinary in your skeleton." Lucas admitted defensively and plopped down on the bed next to her.

"So you can't see under my clothes?" Wednesday confirmed, and he nodded. She kicked off her boots and turned to him.

"Well, okay then." She stood in front of the bed and turned her back to him. "I guess you'll just have to undress me." She whispered in the biggest fail of a seductive voice Lucas had ever heard. He desperately wanted to giggle, but the task at hand was no laughing matter. The man tentatively stood up again and reached out a shaky hand, going through Wednesday's cascading black hair to the zipper of her catsuit.

Realizing that he was no longer appreciating the anticipation, he furrowed his brow and jerked it down with one swift motion, exposing the back of Wednesday's lacy black bra, and more of her pale skin. Lucas ran his hand down her spine, causing her to gasp, then spun her around to face him. She pulled his head down to bring her lips to his, and tackled him onto the bed, tugging at his hair, and thanking Charles that there wasn't a half-bottle of gel in it.

* * *

Dalia finished putting her hair up into two high pigtails, and stepped away from the broken mirror to look at herself. Aside from the blue lines(which Ultra assured her, weren't that noticeable), she thought she definitely looked better than before, which was good considering that Ultraman had said he was once attractive.

Using the stuff Ultra had stolen for her from the Buckman building and various department stores, she'd managed to make herself a nice little ensemble of purple spandex booty shorts, silver stilettos, and a silver shirt outfitted with pockets made of Buckman's latest bulletproof material and an M for Magnificent.

She'd decided to fill the pockets with Buckman Inc.'s latest explosives, which supposedly proved that she and Carson(as Ultraman had told her only she was allowed to call him) weren't the only military-grade weapons coming out of that place. She supposed this also explained the "flyers" he had helped weld to the bottoms of her shoes.

Dalia had grown quite attached to Carson in the few hours that she'd known him. Once they'd gotten past the whole 'I gave you superpowers by force' thing, he'd turned out to be really sweet, and he loved the suit she'd made for him. It was rather easy to make since nothing was out of her reach anymore.

"You look stunning." Dalia heard Carson purr from the doorway of her room. She smiled and turned around.

"As do you, Ultraman." The girl stretched out her arm across the room to run her hand through Carson's now gray-streaked hair.

"All thanks to you, my sweet." He looked down once more at the white and dark gray suit that showed off his bulging muscles. He'd originally worried it resembled the one worn by Lux, aside from the color differences, but Dalia had assured him that he looked much better, especially considering the lack of a redundant mask.

Logically, Carson knew he couldn't really feel that way after a few hours, but Charles, he loved everything about this woman. He pulled in Dalia's stretched arm like a rope, and eventually could hug her to him. She rested her head on his shoulder, and he remembered what he'd came to do. Ultraman pulled himself away from Dalia and brought forth the messenger bag he'd had on his shoulder.

"Ooo, more presents?" Dalia asked eagerly as he reached into the bag and produced a beautiful, one-hundred percent real, diamond tiara.

"I was out looking for anything else we may need, and I came across this beauty in a shop on the upper east side." Carson placed it on her head and smiled. "It's as if it were made for you, my lady." He complimented, and lightly pecked her lips, relieved that the serum in her blood kept him from wanting to eat her- in the literal sense.

"So, when we take over, I'm going to be the lady to your overlord?" She asked with a giant grin on her face.

"But of course, Lady Magnificent." Carson crooned and kissed her again. Dalia sighed into his lips.

"I know you have something else to say." She said, and he looked down. "Come on, you know you can tell me anything." The lady pried.

"There's trouble afoot, Dalia." Ultraman admitted deeply, and Dalia had to not swoon at how sexy he was when he was mysterious.

"You and I can fight anything." She reassured him, and he nodded.

"Even so, we must act quickly if we are ever to be allowed to live as we wish." Dalia smiled dreamily.

"Oh, I love the way you talk, Baby." She hugged him, loving how protected she felt when wrapped in his muscular arms. "And you know I'll help you with anything."

"I need your help with something big." He started. "I need you to help me take out the heroes."

* * *

Wednesday quickly tied the belt of her bathrobe and opened the sliding door out onto her balcony. She spared one last glance back at the sleeping man in her bed before stepping out into the early morning darkness, phone in hand. After a moment or two of looking at the city, she looked down at the screen of her phone, revealing several new texts.

**Where R U?!  
****-Pugsley**

**Wednes, it's 2 AM!  
****-Pugsley**

**I am officially presuming you dead if you aren't back here by 6.  
****-Pugsley**

She sighed and looked at the clock on her phone. 5:48 AM.

**I'm fine. Just stayed at the new place. Calm down.  
****-Wednes**

"You're up early." Wednesday nearly dropped her phone over the ledge at the sudden sound of Lucas' voice. "Sorry." He apologized and stepped closer.

"No, it's fine. Sleep deprivation makes me a little...on-edge." She slipped the phone into her robe's pocket and turned to him. "Good morning." Wednesday forced out before she could laugh at the sight of Lucas wrapped in a sheet-toga.

"Shut up. I don't have any PJs here, and I learned to tie one of these a few years ago." He defended, and waited for Wednesday to ask why he knew how to tie a toga, but she didn't. "So last night was-"

"Fantastic." Wednesday finished for him. Lucas smiled.

"I'm glad to hear it." He moved around behind her and wrapped his arms around her abdomen, kissing her neck while she smiled and looked out over the city again.

"It's amazing, isn't it?" Wednesday asked.

"Hmm?" Lucas asked wordlessly.

"You know, being with your equal." She clarified. "Being one with someone that's neither lesser or superior to you. It's marvelous." She relaxed back into Lucas' arms.

"I don't have anything for comparison, but that definitely makes sense." Lucas agreed and ran his hand through Wednesday's hair. "It's cold out here." He muttered. "We should go inside, maybe sleep for a few more hours?" He suggested in a whisper, and Wednesday shook her head.

"I don't think I can sleep right now." She said, and Lucas nodded.

"Well, we could go out for breakfast together. Maybe eat on top of a tower on the Brooklyn Bridge?" He suggested, and Wednesday smiled.

"How about waffles at Denny's." She suggested, getting a good laugh from Lucas.

"You got it, but I might have to wear this." He agreed and looked down at the sheet. It was Wednesday's turn to laugh, now.

"What if we made a bit of a guest appearance as Lux and Nera?" She offered, and Lucas nodded enthusiastically at the humorous thought of a Denny's server's face upon seeing them. Wednesday led him back into the apartment where they began to pick up the pieces of their suits and put them on.

"Um, I think this is yours." Lucas called over to Wednesday as he realized his boot did not in fact shrink in the night. The girl laughed and held her hand out for him to toss it to her. She caught it effortlessly and stepped into it.

"So I think there's a Denny's on-" Her statement was immediately cut off by an enormous ball of flames erupting from one wall of the apartment, blowing her across the room.

* * *

**Yes, yes, I'm terrible for leaving it off there, I know.**

**Express your feels in a nice review!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note: Yes, this is a couple days late. I blame the cold medicine.**

* * *

"Wednesday?!" Lucas called out as he stumbled blindly through the smoke and rubble of what was once the bedroom. "Wednesday?!" He heard a cough, and ran in the direction of it, finding Wednesday lying on her back next to what used to be the bed. "Oh my god, Wednesday, are you okay?!" He yelled at the slightly dazed-looking girl.

"I think my cape was on fire, but I'll be alright." She coughed again.

"I'm a little worried about your eardrums, though. Judging by the VOLUME IN WHICH YOU'RE SPEAKING." She screamed the last part, and caused Lucas to smile at the awful situation.

"I think somebody tried to kill us." Lucas stated in his usual volume, and gazed at the gaping hole in the wall.

"No, I just _really_ need to get a new heating system." Wednesday said sarcastically. "Of course someone was trying to kill us!"

"You don't have to get snippy, I'm just going over things with you to make sure you're up to speed." Lucas offered Wednesday a hand and helped her to her feet, suddenly widening his eyes. The heroine failed to notice.

"The task at hand is figuring out how they knew we were here, and who _they_ are." She said and began to pace around the smoldering bedroom.

"Well, maybe they followed us here?" Lucas suggested in as normal of a tone as he could muster.

"How? We flew here, so the only way they could have is-" Her eyes widened. "The lab freak! He can fly!" She yelled in realization, and Lucas quickly caught on as well.

"So you're saying that it was Buckman Inc. that tried to kill us?" He asked, and Wednesday shrugged.

"I suppose it's a very good possibility. Unless Ultraman is working alone." Lucas forgot about what he had to tell Wednesday.

"How could Ultraman be working alone? It's not like Buckman Inc. would let their puppy out without a leash." Wednesday nodded. "Unless of course he's not out on Buckman's accord." Lucas suggested.

"From what I've been told, those labs are pretty good at keeping in test subjects. But then again, test subjects are usually not humans with an artificial XK." Wednesday explained. "Either way, Ultraman is definitely involved, and we have to find him."

"But we don't exactly know what we're dealing with. I suggest that we hide out for a while and come up with a plan." Lucas said logically. Wednesday had to agree with him.

"We need to get to my lair. Can you fly us there?" She asked as she made her way to the hole in the wall, which would have to do for a place for Lucas to fly out of.

"Of course." Lucas joined her, and figured it was as good of time as any.

"And Wednesday?" He started. "I think more than your cape got burned off." The girl raised an eyebrow and looked at herself in a mirror across the room that was still surprisingly intact. She instantaneously gasped at the sight of her hair, now unevenly shoulder-length, and still smoking.

...

"We'll just be in here a minute while I get Lurch." Wednesday said to Lucas as she led him to the mansion which looked less ominous and more decrepit in the early daylight. He looked at the few broken windows, rotting siding, and counted the number of stories, thinking about how his father would have had a field day with it. He wondered why it hadn't been renovated, considering that Wednesday's family could definitely afford it, and then remembered who he was talking about.

"So this really has always been here?" He asked, once again completely astounded that the enormous house in Central Park had gone unnoticed. Wednesday nodded.

"My ancestors refused to sell the land when the park was established, so they just kind of went all around us." She explained and opened the front door for Lucas. "We've never really cared about what society wants us to do."

"Yeah, that's becoming more and more evident." He admitted, stepping into the foyer and taking in the dusty, kind of empty room that immediately led to two flights of stairs.

"Follow me." Wednesday instructed, and led him up the stairs, turning immediately to a door with a bell hanging from the frame "Lurch, are you up?" She asked through it and lightly rang the little bell. Lucas swore he heard a man groan in annoyance.

"Who exactly is he?" Lucas asked.

"My best friend." Wednesday replied just as the door opened to reveal a Boris Karloff look-alike in a nightcap and pajamas. "Good morning." Wednesday greeted him politely. The man mumbled something that could have possibly been,

"You rang?" Like Lucas, he did not seem to react well to Wednesday's latest, 'fashion statement'. "Ugh." He croaked out and reached his hand out to touch the singed ends.

"I know," Wednesday said down to the floor. Lurch sighed and signaled the number one on his hand before turning back into the room and closing the door. "He's changing." She explained to Lucas, and he nodded. They waited for all of about two minutes before Lurch reemerged in a dusty tuxedo, carrying a pair of rusty scissors.

"Oooooogh." He groaned, and headed for the stairs.

"Actually, do you mind doing it in my underground?" Wednesday asked, and Lurch grumbled. "I'm sorry, I just kind of want a little privacy." Lucas raised an eyebrow at how Wednesday seemed to be able to decipher the sleepy butler's moaning. Again, he remembered that this was the girl who'd once broken his rib on live television to get a point across.

Lucas and Lurch followed the girl out to the garage they'd entered from before. The door opened at the press of a button on Nera's utility belt, and they were granted access down to the still-empty garage, due to the car still being in a residential area in Queens. The main room awaited, where Wednesday took a seat in a chair, and Lurch began to circle.

"Do you think there's anything you can do?" She asked, and Lurch grunted. "You're a lifesaver." Wednesday made eye contact with Lucas as Lurch carefully brought the scissors to her hair.

"Somebody just tried to kill us, and you're getting your hair cut?" He asked in disbelief.

"Of course. We don't want to show signs of damage to the enemy." She defended. The butler grumbled. "And Lurch agrees."

"Errrrgh." Lurch added. Wednesday blinked a few more times than necessary.

"I was lucky to have called Lucas this morning after staying in my apartment, and luckily, he showed up right after the explosion." She lied, and Lucas clapped a hand over his mouth to keep from laughing. Lurch snipped off some hair, and walked around to look into Wednesday's eyes. He sighed, and grumbled something else. "Lurch, I am a grown woman and I can make my own decisions." The butler put his hands on his hips and turned to Lucas.

"Guuuuh."

"Uh..." Lucas could feel Lurch gazing into his mortal soul. "It was her idea?" The giant man sighed and went back to cutting Wednesday's hair.

"Traitor." She muttered under her breath, and Lucas gave her a look of disbelief before rapidly switching his gaze from Lurch to her, giving a shrug. Wednesday rolled her eyes. "Can you turn on the news for me?" She asked, and pointed to the television. He nodded, and quickly found the remote, switching on the TV to a True Blood DVD menu.

"Nice." He smiled back at her.

"Shut up and push 3." She said nonchalantly, and he obliged.

"Are we checking the weather?" Lucas asked jokingly as he surfed down to the news channels.

"A penthouse in the Theatre District being blown up is bound to attract media attention." She explained, and winced as Lurch continued to cut. "See?" She said as the video of the smoking apartment flashed on the screen.

"_-It has been confirmed that no bodies were found, and it was presumed to have been empty at the time of the freak explosion."_ The anchor proceeded to another topic, changing her demeanor to one of somebody with fresh gossip. "_Are Lux and Nera DATING?" _Wednesday and Lucas groaned in unison. _"Sources have confirmed that the two joined hands last night in the safe rescue of four-year-old Benjamin Paulson, sparking rumors of a possible fling between the hero and villain._

"On what planet does saving a kid get translated to, 'definitely screwing'?!" Lucas asked in disgust. Wednesday laughed.

"Well," Lurch grumbled a warning. "I have no idea, because it's definitely not true." She finished. "But I'm not a villain."

"I think that little laugh after you broke my rib gave people the wrong idea." Lucas guessed.

"_We have been unable to find either of them for an interview, but certain sources have confirmed these rumors."_ Lucas cocked his head, and Wednesday raised an eyebrow.

"They never seem to name their exact sources, do they?" She asked rhetorically.

"This is worse than Wikipedia!" Lucas agreed. Their attention was turned away from the TV at the sound of the elevator coming down. Wednesday braced herself for the inevitable barrage of questions, and felt pity for Lucas.

"Ah ha! Finally, I get my shot at Wonderboy!" Pugsley shouted as he stomped off the lift, and Wednesday couldn't help but hear a miniature version of their father. She looked at Lucas, who had a huge grin on his face.

"Hey! You must be Wednesday's little brother. It's so nice to-" He was cut off by Wednesday.

"Pugsley, if you lay a hand on him, I will turn you over to the ancestors." She threatened.

"Tool." Pugsley cursed in vain at Lucas, and Pubert finally caught up.

"Oh my goodness, what happened?" He asked his sister, just as Lurch gave her hair a final comb-through.

"It caught fire in battle." Wednesday lied, and stood up. "What do you have there?" She asked, noting the folder in her baby brother's hands.

"Pugsley and I finally managed to hack into the BI server!" The little said giddily, and his sister rushed him.

"What did you find?" She asked, taking the folder and taking in the print-outs.

"You were right; that guy was a total failure. He's gone completely insane." Pugsley explained, and Lucas got on his tip-toes to see over the siblings' heads.

"Like, cuckoo bananas, worse-than-Grandma crazy." Pubert added for emphasis. "Pugsley says that he ate a scientist!" Wednesday's eyes widened.

"No, it wasn't him." Pugsley confirmed before she could even ask. She nodded, and Lucas knew she probably wouldn't want to tell him what that was about. "But we also found out that he was the second test subject. The first apparently had more obvious physical mutations, and is still in the lab." Lucas raised an eyebrow.

"Where's Ultraman?" He asked.

"He escaped around 7 last night." Pugsley said matter-of-factly, and Wednesday threw her hands in the air.

"I knew it!" She leaped up from the chair. "This is perfect!"

"How?" Asked Lucas. "Doesn't this mean that the whole city's in danger?"

"Technically speaking, yes." Wednesday admitted. "But these files say that Ultraman is sickly compared to how he's supposed to be. Also, if he escaped, then he's no longer working for Buckman, which should make it a lot easier for us to get to him." She elaborated.

"Which could also mean he's more dangerous." Lucas interjected.

"Yeah, but when it comes down to it, it'll be easier." Wednesday argued, causing Lucas to put his hands up in surrender.

"I'm just saying that we need to be careful about this." He finished.

"Pussy." The twelve-year-old muttered.

"Pugsley!" His siblings scolded in unison.

"I swear, you are so rude." Pubert said in a huff, causing his sister to giggle.

"He had sex with our sister." Pugsley said bluntly.

"She likes him, so we have to be nice, and respect her decision." Pubert spoke as if Wednesday and Lucas were no longer in the room.

"Uuuuuhhh." The forgotten butler said from near the elevator. Pugsley crossed his arms over his chest.

"Traitors."

"_Breaking news: it appears that the suspect in the robbery of several places in Midtown has been identified as a 'Super'."_ They heard from the TV.

"Turn it up!" Wednesday said to Lucas, who punched the up arrow a few times just as a picture of a very different Ultraman flashed on the screen.

"_The suspect has yet to be identified, but police say he is very dangerous, and is responsible for the deaths of a police officer, and two civilians." _Wednesday and Lucas stayed still as a statue, watching as intently as possible. "_Citizens are in a state of panic, wondering where this man will strike next. We are left to ask: where is the new Super couple?" _

"Well, that settles it. We're leaving; now." Lucas said over to Wednesday, who nodded and put on her mask, marveling at how easy it was to get the strap under her hair. Pubert scurried behind her with a fresh cape, unsnapping the remnants of the old, and replacing it.

"Pugsley, I need you to get Lurch to drop you off at my car in Queens." She said back to her other brother. "Let's go, Lucas."

"Oh, so it's _Lucas_ now." Pugsley teased, and his sister bid him farewell with her middle finger. Continuing the trend of hand signals, Pugsley gave Lucas a nice 'I'm watching you' while Pubert gave a little wave.

* * *

"Baby, why don't I get to be on TV?" Lady Magnificent asked as she slowly massaged Ultraman's shoulders. He leaned his head back and looked into her eyes

"In time, my dear." He closed his eyes, wondering how long it had been since he'd last slept, and if he really needed sleep anymore.

"Carson…" Dalia wordlessly begged, and he could tell she was giving him puppy-dog eyes.

"If I take you out and let you smile for the cameras, will you be satisfied?" He asked, and she smiled wide.

"Yes!" She shrieked, and kissed his cheek. "I'm going to go fix my hair!" She ran off to find one of the broken mirrors, leaving Ultraman to groan into his hands.

"Women." He muttered to himself before standing up from the broken recliner, beginning to feel the years he'd been aged, but he shook this feeling off.

He was alive. He was strong. It could have been a lot worse.

This had been his mantra ever since the night of the demonstration. The last sentence reminded him of the pitiful creature that would never get out of the labs by himself; the first freak. If he was to do anything of the slightest moral ambiguity, it would be to help poor Patrick.

"Ready!" Lady Magnificent called from the doorway.

"Then lets fly." He said with a plastered-on smile, and they burst through the building's roof.

"The cameras are by the bitch's apartment. It's this way." Dalia yelled over the wind, and led the way to the theatre district, the Flyers not allowing her Carson's smooth movement. He wanted desperately to laugh at the cute way she jerked about at random intervals, but something caught his attention; a voice.

Ultraman had discovered a while back that his powers also included heightened senses, including hearing. If he wasn't mistaken, he had just heard someone besides Lady Magnificent laughing far above the skyscrapers.

"-I did tell you your hair was a hazard, didn't I?" A smooth, young male voice asked. Ultraman began to go in that direction, ignoring the Lady.

"Shut up, it could have happened to anyone." A female voice said in reply. Ultra lowered his eyebrows, having no doubt in his mind who the duo were. He cursed Dalia's incompetence under his breath and flew to her in a matter of seconds. Grabbing her by the arm, he immediately shut her up, and pulled her in the direction of the others, who he could now see were perched on the top of the Buckman Building.

"It seems I'll have to show you how it's done." Ultraman said into Lady Magnificent's ear, and swooping down. Lucas tore his eyes away from Wednesday fussing with her short hair just in time to see the psycho smiling crookedly, holding onto his rather stereotypical sidekick villainess.

* * *

**Prepare for some AXE-ION!.**

**Give me my writer's drug and review!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note: This one took longer because real life distracts me from the much cooler world of this story. **

* * *

Lucas grabbed Wednesday by the shoulders and brought the both of them down flat, escaping from being knocked back by Ultraman acting as a missile, leaving the woman he had with him to remain suspended in the air via some sort of rocket heels. They jumped back up on their feet the moment he swooped back around, knocking his fists together and smiling menacingly.

"It's truly nice to meet the two of you." He called from the sky. "But unfortunately, our first meeting is to be our last. Dollface!" He called to the woman from the sky, who reached into a breast pocket and produced what Lucas' farsight could see as a little silver disk.

"Nera!" He yelled, and she reacted quickly, hitting a button on her utility belt the moment the disk left Lady Magnificent's hand. The moment the throwing star-like blades shot out in the villainess's direction, Lucas picked Wednesday up by the waist and swooped down around the side of the building. The disk bomb went off, and they got to watch as a chunk of the building was blown away. Lucas gasped.

"That bitch ruined my Egyptian cotton sheets!" Wednesday yelled in realization, and wriggled out of his grip, shooting out her grapple hook to the top of the building before she could fall more than a few feet.

"Nera, Nera don't!" Lucas yelled.

"It's not any more safe here, Lux. Now, do you have my back or not?" She pressed the retract button and zipped up, leaving Lucas no choice but to follow her. They met Ultraman helping the woman to her feet.

"You-" She took a deep breath and stumbled on her heels. "You're gonna pay for that." She kicked on the Flyers and began to swoop around the building as Ultraman snatched Lux into his enormous arms. "Bitch thinks she can stop me with her little toys?! I am twice the woman-" Lady Magnificent's gloating was cut short by her Flyers sputtering out, causing her to fall hundreds of feet. Ultraman immediately let go of Lucas, going after her at all costs.

"Let's go!" Nera yelled, getting onto Lucas' back with a running leap. He took off a full speed and headed straight towards the ground, only turning out of the complete nosedive when he burst the two of them through a ground floor window, ignoring the startled Buckman office employees.

"It's in the basement, right?" Lucas called back to Wednesday as they approached an open elevator. "Crap!" He cursed when he saw the key card slot next to the B button.

"I've got it." Wednesday jumped down from his back and reached into a pouch on her utility belt, pulling out a key card. "Don't ask."

"So what are we going to find down here?" Lucas asked as they descended down to the lab.

"Answers, hopefully." She cracked her knuckles and stomped out of the elevator the moment the doors opened, smacking the emergency stop button to prevent any unwanted security.

"How exactly do you manage to obtain them?" Lucas asked, rather concerned at her violent stomping through the lab.

"Force." She stopped by a desk that overlooked what appeared to be a hospital room/jail cell, and looked down at a copy of _The Psychopathology of Everyday Life_ by Sigmund Freud. "Joel, I know you're down here!" She shouted in no particular direction.

"In here." Called the young scientist, sounding like he was expecting her. They followed his voice down a corridor and turned into a sterile room. Unconscious on a table lay what was once a human being, who now appeared to have mutated far beyond that. Four humongous arachnid arms crudely jutted out of his sides, occasionally twitching. He appeared to not be more than thirty, but his red hair had receded back into an unnatural point, and due to his mouth being somewhat agape, they could see that his teeth had sharpened and elongated.

"Joel, what the hell have you done?" Wednesday asked coldly. He causally removed his glasses and wiped them on his lab coat.

"Yes, I suppose it would be a bit shocking to some." He said casually, referring to the man on the table.

"A bit?!" Asked Lucas, desperately trying to not be made sick by the sight.

"Oh, Wednesday. Tsk tsk." Joel mockingly scolded her taste in men. She made her hands into fists and began to breath quickly through her nose. "First you choose a far too high-profile rebound guy to kill, and now this. When will you learn?" Wednesday lost it and rushed him, slamming him into a wall and holding him up by the collar of his shirt.

"You stole my research, you bastard!" She accused, and was satisfied to see that there was still fear in Joel's eyes, hidden behind this new facade.

"Well, doesn't this bring on some déjà vu?" He said smugly, and received a slap to the face.

"Easy!" Lucas warned.

"I've got this, Lucas." She let a bit of annoyance show, which she feared would give her ex-boyfriend some sort of false hope.

"Yeah, she's got this, Lucas." Joel said over Wednesday's shoulder.

"And I did not kill Henry...probably." She defended herself.

"Probably being the key word here." Mumbled the scientist, who spared another glance at the famous Lux. "It's nice to see you are so true to your beliefs." This last statement dripped with bitter sarcasm.

"The same could be said about you." Wednesday shot back. "I recall a time when you got an internship here simply for reference on a job application." Lucas had the urge to leave the room, knowing that these two definitely had some issues that desperately needed to be worked out.

"Yeah, well, this serum could easily change the world!" Joel defended. "And none of this could have been done without you." Wednesday rolled her eyes at his attempt to sound ominous.

"Of course not. You wouldn't know about the XK if I hadn't explained it to you." She desperately wished to hurt this man.

"And I wouldn't have a clue of its compounds had you not generously donated a sample." He added.

"We're done here." She deadpanned, and slammed him against the wall one last time before turning away. "Come on Lucas. This was a bad idea to begin with." Lucas turned to join her.

"Wait!" Joel called after Wednesday.

"What?!" She shouted. "Why the hell should I listen to you if you've already stolen my DNA for this?" Joel put his palms up.

"To be fair, you were the one that left your hairbrush at my place." Wednesday glared daggers at him. "And I know for a fact that you can't stop Ultraman and that woman without a basic knowledge of how they work." He led the heroes back down the hall, forgetting his earlier task of refilling the subject's IV.

"Can't we just fight them like we would any other criminal?" Asked Lucas, eliciting an exasperated sigh from Joel.

"You could, but that would probably lead to a slow and painful death once you tired out and Carson got his hands on you." A mock smile spread across his face. "Actually…"

"How do we take them down?" Wednesday said bluntly, growing very tired of Joel.

"Now, I only know that this applies to Ultraman. The new one is a mystery to me." He warned. The heroes nodded, and he proceeded. "Okay, well, it seems that a compound used in the serum-" An extremely loud crash shook the entire lab.

"What was that?!" Lucas asked, looking in all directions. Joel's hand instantly went to the bag of sedative in his pocket.

"Oh no." He whispered, and began walking faster down the hall.

"Joel, what's going on?" Wednesday demanded when there were two more bangs.

"I'm afraid Patrick's awake." He admitted, and ran to his desk, throwing open drawers, looking for something.

"The spider?!" Lucas yelled, and Joel nodded. Plaster exploded out into the hall, and out burst the half-monster. Shrieking, and stumbling on his new limbs, he left a path of a destruction as he made his way to the three young adults and the elevator shaft- his only means of escaping.

"Get out. Now." Joel instructed. Wednesday nodded and ran to the elevator.

"Let's go, Lucas!" She called hurriedly. "Joel can take care of this." Lucas headed for the elevator, and then suddenly changed his mind to ran back to Joel, leaving Wednesday to wait. He looked the young scientist in the eyes.

"How do we stop them?" He spoke quickly, completely unaware of what would happen when the spider got there.

"Copper." Joel said truthfully. "Ultraman has a weakness to copper. If you can throw some pennies at him or something, you might have a chance." Lucas nodded.

"Are you sure you can handle this down here?" He asked.

"Yes." Joel lied, and looked back over his shoulder at the impending doom. "Thank you." Lucas said, and turned to join Wednesday in the elevator, but Joel stopped him by putting a hand on his shoulder to get his attention again.

"Don't do anything to hurt her." Joel half-whispered, knowing Lucas could hear him, and then gave him a light shove in her direction. The superhero spared one last glance back at him before he entered the elevator, and the doors shut behind him.

Wasting no time at all, Joel leapt up onto his desk and began to tear away at the newly-replaced pipes, ignoring the cascades of water the showered down on him. He ran to the basement master controls where he closed off all the doors he could to ensure that the lab was flooded as quickly as possible.

By the time his tasks were complete, the water was up to his calves, and he had just moments to reflect on the life choices that led to this moment. Was this really started with the internship at Buckman Inc., or was it the day he first laid eyes on Wednesday Addams? Was it when they broke up, or was it when he thought that superpowers would make her love him again? He collapsed into a fetal position with a splash.

She'd never loved him; at least, not with the ferocity with which he'd loved her. Deep down, he must have always known that he was never what she needed. Would she work out with Lux? Maybe, but it was really no place for him to say. All he knew now was that he had to go down with his failure.

Joel picked up a broken copper pipe from under the water and decided to make one last futile attempt to hold his ground. "Come on, Patrick!" He challenged. The thuds and splashes that kept getting closer were his only way to measure how much time he had left.

The memories of a pale 12-year-old girl with braids and a woeful disposition were what he kept with him in his last few breaths before everything went forever black.

* * *

"Now what?" Wednesday asked the moment she and Lucas were back out onto the New York street. He shrugged.

"You read comic books! What would the Legion of Justice do in this situation?" She asked teasingly.

"Justice League." He corrected. "And I suppose they would come up with a plan that utilizes everyone's strength.

"I think we should split up." Wednesday suggested. "From what we've seen, only one of them can fly now, so only one of us needs to patrol from the air. You can do that, and I'll have Pugsley bring my car." Lucas nodded reluctantly.

"But what if they're still together? Then it would be two against one if we encountered them." He reminded her.

"If we see any sign of either of them, we'll call each other on these." She produced two earpieces from yet another pouch on her utility belt. Lucas put his on.

"So, if for some reason we can't get to the other in time-" He started.

"Don't think about that." Wednesday quickly pressed her lips to Lucas'. "We're connected, so nothing bad can happen to us."

"But if it comes down to it, we can fight for ourselves. We just have to hope that we can catch one of them alone." Lucas added.

"Exactly." Wednesday agreed, and Lucas jumped up into the air.

"After this, you and I are going on a real date. Ridiculously expensive Italian restaurant, evening showing of Phantom of the Opera, the works. I promise." He said with a grin.

"Okay, then don't die." She said jokingly.

"Right back at you."

* * *

**We officially have 2-3 chapters left! Review while you still can!**

**(And yes, Joel is dead, just in case you had doubt.)**


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Note: Well, we've made it to the last official chapter. It's been a fun ride, but this is where shit gets pretty dark.**

* * *

"Anything yet?" Asked Lucas over Wednesday's earpiece. She scanned the New York dusk out her windshield again.

"No." She replied. "How about from your point of view?" She waited just a few moments for his response.

"Nothing. You think they went back into hiding?" He guessed.

"Probably. They seem kind of crazy, so maybe they want a night setting for dramatic effect." Lucas knew this suggestion was a definite possibility, and sighed for Wednesday to hear.

"I know, but the sooner we can get them locked up, the sooner our lives can somewhat return to the rut." She tried to console him.

"Can we at least take a-" Wednesday heard an explosion from Lucas' end.

"What's happening?" She yelled to him, swerving from a traffic jam and speeding down a random street, hoping it was in his direction.

"A garbage barge near Liberty Island just blew up!" Lucas explained. "It's obviously a way for them to lure me there."

"I'm on my way." She skidded around another corner, and immediately had to slam on her breaks to avoid running over someone, who at a closer glance turned out to be Lady Magnificent herself. The woman smirked, and Wednesday cautiously brought her hand down to the button that would bring up the machine gun hidden in the hood. The villainess waved her over like a child, grinning widely and pointing up at the brownstone Nera had stopped in front of. Wednesday furrowed her brow and contemplated exactly what was happening right now.

"Come on!" Lady Magnificent called, and dashed through the front door of the house. Wednesday thought of the garbage barge, and that this too seemed like a very obvious trap. So obvious that they probably expected her to do the exact opposite of going into the house, that her GPS quickly told her was actually a group home for children.

"Lucas, something's come up, but I'm fairly certain you won't find both of them. Be careful." She said into her earpiece, and waited for Lucas' walkie talkie response.

"Yeah, just Ultraman here!" He shouted frantically from his end. Wednesday looked straight ahead, knowing she could go help him, and then looked back over at the group home. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, and flung her door open. Charging into the home, she could only hope that Lucas would be alright.

* * *

"So tell me, Lux, what got you into the superhero business?" Ultraman asked casually as if he weren't in the middle of mid-air combat. Lux continued to circle defensively, knowing that the psycho would strike at any moment.

"I did it to stop scum like you." He said, and got a plastic smile from Ultraman.

"Now, that wasn't very nice." The man mockingly scolded. "You and I have barely spoken ten words to each other, and you're already making assumptions." Lucas crossed his arms.

"What exactly is your angle?" He asked, causing Ultraman to throw his head back in laughter.

"If only I knew the answer to that question." He admitted, and rushed Lux, getting right in his face. "Have you ever thought of the possibilities when you're like this?" Lucas nodded, hoping to talk him down to a place where he could be detained.

"Every day." He admitted, hoping Ultraman couldn't read minds as well. "You know, sometimes I wake up and I wonder why I even bother saving these inferior people when I could rule them." This lie pained Lucas to say, but it seemed to satisfy the brute. Ultraman smiled, and grabbed Lux by the collar of his suit.

"Exactly!" The villain agreed. "It's why I ate that insolent scientist. It's how things work on the food chain." This was the first Lucas had heard of any kind of cannibalism, but he somehow wasn't surprised to hear it. "We shouldn't be treated like damn celebrities. People should _worship _us!" Lucas nodded along with everything he said while quickly looking around at the open air and water below. "I mean, the Romans worshiped gods, right? We're gods! Me, you, Dalia, that cute little spitfire of yours…" Ultraman's voice trailed off, and Lucas' hands balled into fists at his side.

"Nera." He said under his breath.

"Yeah, yeah, Nera." Carson shrugged off. "Didn't that pretty young thing once kick your ass on live television?" The older-looking man chuckled.

"Yeah, she's um, pretty tough." Lucas stuttered to come up with anything that couldn't potentially put her in danger.

"Mmmm." This sound that Ultraman emitted made Lux sick to his stomach. "I like it rough." Lux had time to take one deep breath before his eyes flashed red and Ultraman was propelled away from him, allowing him one punch before he was grabbed by the throat.

* * *

"I can tell you like children." Lady Magnificent said to Wednesday behind her back as she stretched her arms into a crib to pick up a newborn wrapped in a bundle of blankets. "It's moving, really. One pathetic thing caring about another," She reached into the blanket to get a better look at the baby. "But it simply won't do if Carson and I are going to let you live." Wednesday cautiously stepped closer.

"Listen, _my lady_," Nera addressed her sarcastically. "I can assure you that I am everything but pathetic when it comes to bludgeoning you so severely that your brain will be dripping out your nose."

"Ooo, I'm so scared!" Dalia shot back. "Kid, you don't know the lives these ones have to look foreword to. Most of them end up working for people like me, shooting up between their toes and getting into cars with old men who like 'em young." Wednesday glared at her. "So to be quite honest, blowing them up would be doing 'em a favor." The villainess held up one the explosive disks.

"If you know what's good for you, you will put the baby down right now." Wednesday growled.

"Ummm…no. I'd rather not. It helps give me some leverage." She looked down at the disk and pressed a few miniscule buttons. "You have two minutes to make your decision."

"What decision?" Asked Nera, stepping closer to her.

"Let the people here die, or join me and Carson." Lady Magnificent said with a smirk. Wednesday blinked a few times.

"Please tell me you're kidding." She said dryly, and the villainess just shook her head. "You said two minutes?" Wednesday asked for confirmation.

"That's right." The younger woman looked down at the floor, as if to make a difficult decision. But instead of Lady Magnificent getting an answer, she was met with a series of punches from Nera. She stretched her arms around her head to protect her face. "Bad decision, bitch!" She screamed, and kicked blindly at Wednesday, making contact with her shin. "These people will die here, and so will you."

"We'll see about that." Nera shot back, and tackled her, going right through the brownstone's brick wall. They crashed down to the street with Lady Magnificent managing to land on top, and she wasted no time in getting a few punches in.

"You're weak!" Dalia shrieked before connecting her open hand with Nera's cheek. "You think I don't know how to deal with little bitches like you?" This time a punch to Nera's nose. She marveled in the wonderful sound of crunching bones, followed by the geyser of blood. "It's a damn shame. You had such a pretty face." In an act of sheer cockiness, she reached a hand out to stroke Wednesday's hair. Her wrist was instantly grabbed, and the other arm flew out and stretched itself around Wednesday's neck in an attempted sleeper hold.

"You know what's fun about being a complete shut-in?" Nera asked while gasping for air. Lady Magnificent raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"What?" She asked.

"Time to work on non-academic skills. Like mixed martial arts." Dalia had no time to react before Wednesday twisted the villainess' wrist, causing her to loosen her hold on her neck, which opened the door for her to break free.

"Impressive." Lady Magnificent said through her teeth when she looked up to meet the end of Nera's crossbow.

"Oh, you have no idea. This thing's loaded with bolts that will send five-hundred volts of electricity through you. Would you like to see if you, like rubber, don't conduct it?" The heroine received only a glare. "Good. Now give me the disk." The bomb was just ticking to zero the minute it connected with her palm, and she had only moments to throw it into the air, above the houses. When Lady Magnificent thought Nera was distracted by the cloud of flames, she outstretched her arm, only to have Wednesday grab her wrist once more, this time using it to flip her onto her back. She coughed from the ground. The young heroine leaned over her, smiling.

"My very first super villain. Where's the Polaroid when you need one?"

* * *

Lucas caught a glimpse of an explosion in the city's distance, which elicited a sigh from Ultraman. He let up on the smaller man he held down on the frosted grass of Liberty Island.

"Uh oh. Looks like things didn't go well between the two of them." The villain gave a malicious smile. "Sorry." Lucas tried to bring his hand to his now-empty ear, wishing desperately to hear Wednesday's voice.

"Nera's gotten away from those stupid bombs before." He defended. Ultraman nodded in agreement.

"Indeed, but that was with you. Not to give you too much credit, but I recall a two person effort." Lucas had to keep reminding himself that Ultraman was only trying to emotionally compromise him. He simply couldn't think of the alternative.

"She can hold her own." Lux said with confidence.

"I certainly hope so." Ultraman admitted. "Dalia's fun, but there's something rather boring about how...willing she is." Lucas had to swallow the bile that once again threatened to come up. "That one of yours; so young, so feisty. Oh, I could teach her a thing or two."

"Don't you dare touch her!" Lucas spat, and elicited a nauseating eyebrow-waggle from the freak of nature.

"Oh, I assure you that I'll do much more than touch her." Lucas gritted his teeth tightly, hoping that Wednesday had the idea to get away from the city, _if_ she'd survived the fight. Either way, he had almost come to terms with never seeing her again, and that if made it so he'd decided it really wouldn't be so bad if Ultraman had the mercy to kill him.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Lucas asked, causing Carson to sigh.

"Oh, I couldn't kill you just yet." He started. "Because truly, I think you're right; your little girlfriend is indeed alive. So here's what's going to happen. I'm going to drag you back to her, but unfortunately, there will be no time for a tear-jerking reunion." Ultraman got as close to Lux's face as he could. "I'll lay her down, peel off that outfit of hers, caress her all over-"

"Shut the fuck up!" Lux screamed. This was ignored, and the villain continued to describe in vivid detail every last depraved thing he would do Wednesday.

"But you know the best part of all of that?" Carson asked. Lucas thought that he would rather die than hear what could possibly be the worst in the ordeal he just described. "I'll let you watch. And she will be screaming your name. Over, and over, and over again!" Lucas' eyes instantaneously began to glow red again; this time staying that way.

"Someone needs to teach you some manners!" A voice far lower than the one of Lucas Beineke's roared as Ultraman was lifted off of him by an invisible force. He stood and smiled at the stunned and possibly scared look on the man's face. Just a twitch of Lux's eye caused his face to turn to the side, as if it had just received an unbelievably strong right hook. He repeated the action on the other side, and reveled in finally causing the brute pain. "Boy, I've never done this before!" Lucas yelled gleefully, and even the villain himself was slightly unsettled by this side of him.

"Hey man, why don't you calm down?!" He yelled after he'd gotten a force-punch to the eye, feeling it close from the swelling. Lux broke into a fit of hysterical laughter.

"Oh, you really think I should calm down?!" He screamed rhetorically, and Ultraman began to float towards him. "I know the one thing that could do that!" He looked back at the green statue looming over them. Deep down, he remembered learning about how the Statue of Liberty was made of copper, but oxidization from the water surrounding Liberty Island caused it to turn the color it has been since 1920. This new side of Lucas caused him to grin at the marvelous weapon

"What are you really going to do? I'm just as much of a freak as you. The two of us will be fighting forever!" Ultra yelled, and Lux tilted his head to the side.

"Nah, I think I'll just end this with twenty-nine electrons." Carson merely raised an eyebrow in confusion before he was thrown into the air, colliding with the statue's midsection with a clang. He led out a blood-curdling scream as smoke rose from his back, lasting several minutes before he went quiet, and Lux unceremoniously let him go.

"I hope you're happy." Carson croaked between coughing fits that spewed blood out of his mouth. "You won." And just as Ultraman died, the red lights from Lux's eyes went out, and he too collapsed to the ground.

* * *

Lucas sat on a nearby rooftop, watching as Nera was trying to get away from a hoard of reporters. The sight of her awkwardly answering questions and restraining herself from hitting anyone would have been rather funny at any other time. The initial relief of seeing her alive and well had been overpowered out by the ever-increasing sorrow that threatened to drown him.

He'd retreated to the city upon regaining consciousness and seeing what he'd done. Only bits and pieces of his rather terrifying episode were coming to him, but he knew that it wasn't him. Something about this new power had taken control of him; Lucas Beineke was not a killer. The heroes in his comic books had always avoided killing at all costs, and he'd always stuck to their philosophy. Of course, he'd made up his mind on the matter when he was certain that the only thing he'd have to deal with was ordinary crime caused by human nature.

No matter what the young man told himself, be it that Ultraman's grizzly death had saved countless lives, or that he truly deserved it, the sick feeling in the pit of Lucas' stomach just wouldn't go away. He turned off his farsight, taking away his view of Wednesday, and the usual white light that glowed from his eyes. Lucas rubbed at them, remembering the feeling that had consumed him when he'd killed Ultraman.

The catalyst of it could only be his blind rage, which was not something that happened to any real heroes aside from the Hulk. Maybe, just maybe, the villain had been right about the two of them being equals. He was so distracted by his thoughts that he hadn't even heard the clang of Wednesday's grapple hook on a pipe. He became aware of her presence only when she sat right next to him.

"Big night, huh?" She asked, having already heard about everything that had happened. He nodded, and she sighed at his lack of communication in a time like this. "You know it wasn't bad, right? He would have done worse to you." Lucas turned to her.

"Did you kill the girl?" He asked upon seeing the plaster on her nose up close.

"It's a clean break; not even a deviated septum. I didn't have the heart to tell the EMT that it had already healed before he could set it." She slowly pealed it off, revealing her now slightly crooked nose. Lucas gave her a look that told her he didn't appreciate her dancing around the subject at hand. "After untangling her arms, they sent Magnificent to a government insane asylum on an island somewhere near the city." She admitted. Lucas nodded.

"So I guess you had total control over the situation?" He asked bitterly, but Wednesday understood.

"Not quite, but that's probably because we were both inexperienced." She tried to reassure him. "I would have done the same, had I been in your position."

"No, you wouldn't have. You didn't spontaneously gain Carrie-esque telekinesis." He defended, and the scientist in her made her eyes widen.

"You have another power?" She asked, intrigued by the possibility of a late manifestation. Unfortunately for Wednesday's research, Lucas hardly had any intention of doing it ever again.

"I just can't help but think that this goes against everything I've ever stood for." He elaborated, and she nodded.

"Things aren't always completely black and white, Lucas." She rested her head on his shoulder. "Having one dead body and a slight dent in the Statue of Liberty, compared to a lot of danger for the whole world, is a pretty light shade of gray." The corners of his mouth went upward, ever so slightly.

"Who'd have thought that the ambiguous villain of my story would be the one giving me a speech about morality?" Lucas asked, and Wednesday laughed at her first speech to him.

"Well, I guess those first impressions were pretty inaccurate." She admitted. Lucas raised his eyebrow.

"So, how was your first interview?" He asked, and received a smack to the shoulder.

"Reporters are evil and I still despise them. You can keep the limelight." The man chuckled.

"I don't even want it anymore."

"Yes, well, the society we live in hardly gives us a say in the matter. And you never know where you stand with them. One day they could be saying we robbed a bank, and another day they have a fact sheet about us together." The girl explained, not hiding her disgust for the modern times.

"Where do _we_ stand, exactly?" Lucas asked, taking Wednesday aback for a moment, but she regained her composure immediately.

"Well, we've been on one date, confronted my ex-boyfriend, had admittedly great sex, and have possibly saved the world together...I'd have to say it's too soon to tell." Lucas smiled.

"Whatever you say." He said, looking down at the street below.

"Well, I'm hardly going to get into any committed relationship without properly introducing the person to my family, first." She said in a joking attempt to make herself sound aloof.

"Okay. Then let's go!" Lucas stood, startling Wednesday.

"Wait, now?!" She asked as he swooped her up into his arms.

"Yep." He grinned, jumping into the air. "Let's be crazy." Wednesday pulled Lucas' face down to kiss him. This action seemed to turn on his white lights that matched the late night city. She noticed upon breaking the kiss, and smiled.

"Well, your name will always suit you. Lucas, Lux, you're always the light."

"But what's light without a little darkness?" He asked, running his hand through her hair. They both shared a wordless glance and a smile before Lucas swooped downwards, heading for unknown adventures and the rest of their lives.

* * *

**Cheesy ending, I know, but I just had to end on a fluffy note. Ummm…stay tuned for the "after the credits" epilogue. There may or may not be shawarma. And don't forget to review!**


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